Sorry For You, Hakari of Yami Bakura
by egochan
Summary: OMG a fic where Ryou is beaten by Bakura and NOT in love with him. No, the world hasn't ended yet... Hey, does it rain fire often? Missing school, hospital visits, and running away all cause by some very greedy item-crazy Yamis. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1 Screen Doors Are Hell And Yam...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. But if they owners were willing to just give it to me for free.  
  
Alter-Ego: At about the chance of a snowflake on hell  
  
The Evil Laugh: Shut up! Just because I use YGO cards for muses doesn't mean you get to talk in this fic  
  
Alter Ego: What do you mean? I wrote more than half of this crap.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yes, but only where Ryou get beat up and that isn't in this chapter.  
  
Alter Ego: Well, I enjoyed typing it all, every cruel detail, for the future  
  
The Evil Laugh: You know I hate you, right?  
  
Alter Ego: Eh, so? I actually prefer it that way.  
  
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Ryou Bakura looked around nervously. It was still dark and by the grace of the gods he would be able to slip by unnoticed. That was, of course, only if he kept his noise making at a minimum. But, as silent as he tried to be, it still seemed to him that his footfalls were terribly loud. Slow and cautiously he slipped past attic where his dark was now residing, hugging the walls in a death-grip. He let go only long enough to cross the hall as he zigzagged from doorway to doorway. Barely even breathing, Ryou progressed. His heart beat loudly and he struggled to keep his breaths slow. Gritting his teeth at every noise he made, (or thought he made) he went on.  
  
After a fashion, Ryou inevitably reached the front door. He grabbed the knob and turned it warily praying in his head that the slight click that always sounded when the lock gave wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. Luckily, it didn't and Ryou thanked every god there ever was that the hinges were well oiled and squeak free. Too bad there was a screen door.  
  
Ryou studied this obstacle thoroughly. Of all the dumb luck. Screen doors could never be silenced by and grace or amount of oil given. He pushed it slightly and there was a creak that made Ryou's spine tingle. Suppose He, in the attic, had heard it? Quickly Ryou lowered his breathing to an almost impossible rate and waited in fear.  
  
After a long, long while, it was relevant to Ryou that his dark half was unaware of anything going on in the hall below him. Silently he went back to studying the door. Suddenly the sound of heavy metal rock/rap music exploded from the floor above. Ryou was so frightened it felt like he'd almost died. He was lucky enough to keep his wits about him and choke back a shout of surprise that nearly escaped his lips. His heartbeat, which had already been going fast, skyrocketed so he had to make an effort to not start gasping.  
  
Still, through his shock, he managed to realize his chance was at hand. Taking advantage of the loud noise in the background, Ryou slipped out the screen door unnoticed. As he finished closing both doors quickly behind him, he hear his fathers voice muffled by the walls and the music, yelling for Yami Bakura to turn the music down. Bakura responded to this by turning the stereo, where he got it was beyond Ryou, up to the max for several seconds before switching it off entirely.  
  
Ryou hovered around the house a bit to make certain he hadn't been missed before finally taking off. He was only a couple strides away when he realized e still bore the Millennium Ring. Hastily he removed the accursed artifact and placed it next to a large leafy green houseplant. Finished, he turned around and made himself scarce.  
  
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Yami Yugi was up watching the history channel. His little Hakari sat across from him thoroughly glued to the tube, as was he, the Yami. They were watching a special on the past of games. It was a five-part segment going Monday through Friday. Today's portion was on the development of many different modern games including hounds and jackals, chess, and poker. Yugi, being obsessed with games of all sorts and his Dark being the King of Games, was watching in awe at how people could ever discover such information. Grandpa had turned in early though, remarking that he knew enough about games without having to map out their history over the centuries.  
  
At nine the first part of the show was had ended. Yugi had turned off the television and was about to upstairs to his room when there was a soft, almost shy polite sounding knock on the door. He almost didn't catch it, but hearing the sound again he changed his mind about the sound, which actually seemed quite nervous and cautious. This unnerved Yugi a bit. His darker half left their soul room and went ahead of Yugi to answer it. It was Ryou. Yami Yugi let him in with a silent gesture and a nod. Yugi watched Ryou as he entered and got out of his way as his way he went for a cabinet by the TV. Soon he pulled out something that was either a video, a book, or some rectangular box. Silently the white-haired boy exited. Yugi shrugged and continued on to his bedroom. Ryou Bakura had almost always been a bit weird and distant, but he always had a good reason. Therefore, Yugi didn't trouble himself much with the matter and neither did his Dark.  
  
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Ryou stared at his treasure. It was held within a humble videocassette case. Slowly, respectful yet wary, as not to get the attention of certain darker half, he opened it.  
  
Now if someone had been watching they would have seen what they would have seem what they most likely would dismiss as a knickknack box. Many small items of very little resale value were inside. Ryou ran his fingers through them searching. He lifted one, a small monopoly figurine of a ship and smirked at the memory of some happier time. Shifting through the box again, his expression clouded at recollection of less pleasant remembrances.  
  
Half and hour went by and Ryou still hadn't found what he sought. He was jumpy at small sounds dreading his other half might show up and blow his cover.  
  
Ryou's face was at first a mixture of confusion, sorrow, frustration, pain, and fear. Soon it just became blank staring unseeingly forward and into the box as his hands continued to search. Slowly, they slowed down in their owner's disbelief of the current situation. They picked up items more and more randomly till, finally, they stopped completely. Ryou was in such shock at the absence of what he was searching for that his body went quite limp. The box, closed now, fell to the ground.  
  
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Yami Bakura was outside on the porch doing "whatever the hell I'm doing cause I want to, so get the fuck outta it" as so adequately put it to Ryou after he had asked. Ryou had been inside already for an hour. Bakura was returning from a "little stroll in the neighborhood". He was up the steps and about to enter when he noticed something glimmering faintly in the corner. Being a thief by nature, he went over to see what it was. That was when he found, under the giant overhanging leaves of a large houseplant, the accidentally forgotten Millennium Ring.  
  
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Joey, Serenity, Tristan, Yugi, Yami Yugi, Tea, Seto, Grandpa, and Mokuba were all at Ryou's home. Ryou's father had gone to Egypt again and the group had thrown a farewell party part birthday celebration for Serenity. Everyone had agreed on throwing both at the same time.  
  
Yugi was having a very good time except for the way Ryou was acting. The boy was being very distant and Yugi could practically see a cloud hovering over his friend. Of course, Ryou's father wasn't coming back for a while, but that was no excuse for him to be so spaced a depressed. In fact, Ryou's disenchantment was so outward flowing that it almost ruined the celebration for Yugi and Yami.  
  
In remembering his darker half, Yugi noticed that Yami Bakura was not present. Looking at Ryou's bedroom window though, he saw dark menacing dark eyes watching his Millennium Puzzle closely. Yugi's dark side was instantly all over that matter; going up to the window and rudely tapping the glass HARD. This made Yami Bakura jump back from the windowpane quickly and close the curtains. Looking at the window, Yugi could see a crack and some chipped glass. He hoped his Yami hadn't done that damage by tapping too hard.  
  
The party lasted for a long time. It was nine when Serenity practically fell asleep in her cake. After that the celebration was through. Ryou watched silently as everyone left. He wished he could leave as well. His Yami was in the house waiting for him. Ryou's father wasn't there anymore, which kept Ryou's dark side in check most of the time. It would sure thrill Bakura to finally be able to get rid of his anger on a long unused punching bag aka Ryou. Yep, Ryou wished he could go also. Even if the next day was Monday, Bakura could find some way to hurt his light. Ryou took a breath and stepped toward the house fearfully.  
  
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The Evil Laugh: Okay it's obvious Ego hasn't put her 2c in yet  
  
Alter Ego: Oh, but I will, soon. If anybody reviews your messy beginning, that is. 


	2. Chapter 2 The Ring is Gone! Lets All Cr...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh but I'll pay $5 for Ryou.  
  
Alter Ego: Yeah, and I'll sell him for $2000 if you ever do.  
  
The Evil Laugh: I hate you.  
  
Alter Ego: I dislike Ryou.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Don't start it. *clenches fist*  
  
Alter Ego: *is gone with a cloud of dust behind her yelling back* Um, got go finish that 3rd chapter, chow!  
  
  
  
Nothing really frightening happened when he entered, but for all Ryou knew, his other half could be waiting for him. He entered the kitchen. Nothing. He entered the guest room his father had used. Ryou was pretty sure the room wouldn't be in use for a while, cause he knew he wasn't inviting anybody over ever. A party in the yard was as far as it went if Yami Yugi was present, Ryou's dark side had made sure of that. He walked out seeing nobody was in there and continued on to his room.  
  
Ryou couldn't see much of a difference in his room. There was a smashed piggy bank in the corner, but stuff like that didn't faze him anymore. He crossed the room, in which there was no bed, and opened the door to a conjoining bathroom. It was very small and after a quick look over, he only noticed that the floor needed to be mopped and the door was still busted along its hinges. Something had hit the structure very hard, almost causing it to break off of its frame. Ryou shuddered inwardly at the memory. He closed the door with some effort and walked across the room again.  
  
This time he opened the door to a large walk-in closet/bedroom. This was where Ryou had been forced to reside. It had once been a closet/laundry room. The washer and dryer were still against the back of the left wall.  
  
Now a pessimist would take on look at Ryou's room and say "cramped" and "a mess". But Ryou didn't wasn't like that. He took the optimistic point of view, which was "cozy" and "rather snug". There really wasn't much space in there anyways. A small bureau was on the left wall and there were poles going across the low ceiling. From these hung many sweaters, shirts, and other outfits including Ryou's school uniform. On the right wall was his sleeping area. It was made up of blankets, pillows, and many other cloth items all piled up in the corner by a space in the back wall were it and the right wall meant. This made it like hell to made the bed in the morning since the pile had no consistent shape.  
  
Since the washer and dryer were in the closet, Ryou had to do the laundry. That didn't bother him much. He had even learned how to iron clothes and cook small meals as well. These were things he had to learn in order to live apart from his family. They were also good if you wanted to go to school with a clean, neat uniform, unlike some people Ryou knew in his classes.  
  
Ryou left and went to the kitchen again. The only place left was the attic, which he had sworn never to enter again, and his Dark's soul room. It was as he was getting some water from a pitcher that he remembered the Millennium Ring. Still clutching the glass, he ran outside to retrieve it. He hadn't meant to leave the artifact off so long. At the moment all he though was to get it back soon.  
  
The first place he went was the big houseplant. Crouching down on his hands and knees and dropping the glass, which shattered into a widespread sharp wet assault to bare skin, Ryou looked under the large green leaves. To his horror the Ring wasn't there. His heart raced and his hands trembled, he hadn't realized they were cut.  
  
Frantically Ryou searched the entire house, save the attic, for an hour. After that his energy died abruptly. He knew the Ring was gone but had tried, in vain, to convince himself otherwise. Slowly, with an almost unreal sense of reality that was clear in the glazed look in his eyes, Ryou inches towards his bedroom/closet/laundry room. Once there, he collapsed into his bed and fell into a fit full sleep.  
  
Yami Bakura listened to his hakari's futile efforts to find the Ring from his residence in the attic. He was sitting there gloating on the bed that had once been his lights. He smirked as Ryou passed under the attic hatch again, breathing heavily and muttering to himself. A soft yet unmistakably evil laugh escaped the dark ones lips. He started mocking aloud his other side's efforts, listening to his feet race about the small house.  
  
"Look for your precious ring you baka. Ha. Maybe it's under the porch."  
  
*the footsteps went toward the front door*  
  
"Or wait, is it on that counter, you better check there before going out, eh?"  
  
*the steps faltered and headed toward the kitchen*  
  
"Not on the counter is it? Oh dear, you've forgotten where you were going in the first place."  
  
*the steps stumbled about in confusion*  
  
"What a forget full child you are! What if it's in the attic? You think so; I know it. But your past still rules your actions, doesn't it, Ryou?"  
  
*the footsteps now went slowly toward Ryou's bedroom*  
  
"Hahaha. I see you've given up. Shame. You're to weak. I would have kept going for far, far longer. You're pathetic, Ryou. But don't worry; I have it all taken care of. Your foolish misplacing will be handled with most effectively, I assure you."  
  
Yami Bakura held up the Ring that had been in his hands the whole time. Looking at it he laughed at the stupidity of his light. Softly he entered his soul room to continue his jest in the morning.  
  
  
  
Alter Ego: Ya'll know I sleep in a walk-in closet as well, right?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yeah, but you don't do the laundry.  
  
Alter Ego: I do my laundry.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Wished you'd do mine. I have no white shirts left [they're all pink now].  
  
Alter Ego: You don't sleep in the attic though.  
  
The Evil Laugh: We don't have an attic. *glares at Ego*  
  
Alter Ego: You can't beat me up either.  
  
The Evil Laugh: I know. You run to fast.  
  
Alter Ego: Shut up. Not my problem I can't take punch.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Uh, yes it is.  
  
Alter Ego: *runs away*  
  
AN: Kay, ya'll read and review. Ego still hasn't put her 2c in. But I'll keep writing if I get good reviews. Next chapter will have Ryou getting hurt. Ego says he just gets " a little smacked around, so don't start crying for him". I'm worried for the guy. You never know how far Ego's idea if getting a little smacked around. I don't even think she knows. Just keep you fingers crossed [preferable after you review] Ego's a loon. 


	3. Chapter 3 Ryou Is Injured ::cries:: Aka...

Disclaimer: I [we] don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. But of course ya'll already know that.  
  
Alter Ego: Here ya go. I've done at I can. The 3rd Chapter!  
  
The Evil Laugh: Knowing you, I almost don't want to read it.  
  
Alter Ego: Awe, how come?  
  
The Evil Laugh: You're crazy and have probably killed Ryou or some thing.  
  
Alter Ego: Now what makes you think that?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Guess, just guess.  
  
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The feeling that someone was standing in front of him was Ryou's first thought as he awoke. Opening his eyes a little, he realized his ceiling lamp was on and that there was something gold glittering in front of him. Instantly he knew it; the Millennium Ring. But why was it hanging there, suspended in space before him? His heart almost stopped. His body tensed. Lifting his eyes and head up a little, Ryou looked straight into the evil gleaming eyes of Yami Bakura. The Ring was in its chain dangling from the fiend's grip. Bakura started swinging it around a bit making sure Ryou could see it.  
  
"Ryoouuu, look what your devoted Yami has found for his little Hakari; the Millennium Ring."  
  
Ryou just stared at him. Seeing his light wasn't going to answer him, Bakura continued smirking while feigning a hurt tone.  
  
"Awe, you don't want it? Dear, dear. And here I was thinking what a horrible thing it was that my light should go on without his precious Millennium Item. How angry his other side would be if ever he found out, because, I assure you, he is NOT pleased."  
  
In seconds, Bakura had grabbed Ryou by the shirt collar and slammed him against the wall of the small closet. For some reason this caused the washer to come to life and several clothes to fall from their hangers. The door rattled at the force as well.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mea--" Ryou muttered.  
  
Bakura responded by pulling his light towards him and slamming him against the wall again. He lifted Ryou up a few inches and looked him firmly in the eye.  
  
"Thought you'd try to lose the Ring, huh? Thought you could rid yourself of me so easily." Bakura's voice was low and dangerous.  
  
"I, I didn't mean to forget it. I was only taking it off for a little bit.really." Ryou whined. This made Bakura angrier. He twisted Ryou's collar causing him to temporarily gag as it also pinched the skin on his neck as well. Bakura spoke his next words quietly, but Ryou caught every word.  
  
"You must NEVER remove your Millennium Ring again. If you dare to try it once more, you'll wish your grandparents hadn't even looked at each other. 'Cause no matter what, I will find the Ring, wherever you shall ingeniously place it. You will never be rid of me. Got that? Not till the day your pathetic life ends forever."  
  
Ryou gasped for air as the pressure upon his throat lessened. He said in a small voice,  
  
"But I wasn't trying to get rid o---oomph!"  
  
Bakura had sent his fist forcefully forward. It slammed into Ryou's stomach, causing him to kneel over thoroughly winded as Bakura released his hold on the boy's shirt. Not yet completely spread out on the ground, Bakura sent Ryou face forward into the floor with a sharp kick to the small of his light's back. There he lay barely moving, even to breath. Smirking, Bakura sent a wild kick to Ryou's ribs, almost laughing as his hakari rolled instinctively into a ball.  
  
Bakura let him lie like that for a few seconds before suddenly pulling the boy up by his long white hair. He slammed Ryou into the wall yet again and shoved the Ring up close to his face.  
  
"NEVER" he said in a small voice ridden with wrath, "Let me catch you without this."  
  
Bakura held up the Ring, pausing a moment to let his message sink in. Shoving the boy one last time before leaving, he let the boy fall to the ground in a heap.  
  
"You're so weak."  
  
He muttered with a note of laughter in his voice. The darker half placed the Millennium Ring the artifact around his lights neck by its rope. Then he left, not resisting the urge to give Ryou a farewell kick in the ribs. Ryou lay unmoving.  
  
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Ryou didn't move for a long while. He lay there listening to the machines mindless rumbles. He could also hear a few creaks and thuds as Yami Bakura went up to the attic. A number of bangs sounded as the door/hatch to the upper story was closed.  
  
Ryou slowly lifted himself off the ground a few inches. His breathing had yet to return to normal. He lifted himself up a bit more and felt the familiar weight of the Millennium Ring as it swung with his movements. He looked down at it, his expression full of loathing for the artifact. Ryou crawled toward the washing machine and used it to finish raising himself from the floor. He brought his uniform up with him since it had fallen down with many other articles of clothing. He wearily reached out and hung it up on the nearest peg within arms length, deciding he wasn't going to school yet in his current condition. Maybe he would show up at break, get his assignments from his teachers, and ride out the rest of the school day, but he wasn't sure. Right now he had a bad headache. With one hand upon the wall for support, he made his way towards his bed/pile if blankets in the corner. There he all but passed out into the covers as he lie down and fell into an uneasy slumber.  
  
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Alter Ego: There, that was short and, um..  
  
The Evil Laugh: Don't say sweet cause that was cruel.  
  
Alter Ego: Yes, I know it was cool.  
  
The Evil Laugh: I said cruel, FYI. What are you, deaf?  
  
Alter Ego: What? Repeat that please, I didn't quite catch you said. ^_^  
  
The Evil Laugh: *knocks Alter Ego out with ONE punch* In the words of the evil Yami Bakura; "You're so weak".  
  
AN: Ya'll R+R. Please. Last time I checked, yesterday [9/15/02] at 8:00pm, there was only like, two. But, of course, my greedy self must take into consideration that some fics can't even boast that meager amount. It was all positive remarking though. I will use that as an excuse to continue. Fyi, I almost didn't put this chapter up after I first read it, but [for lack of any thing better] I have published it. Like I said, read and review, PLEASE!  
  
I am trying to get my paragraphs to make sense. The got all squished together before. I hope this is eaiser to read. 


	4. Chapter 4 Ryou Is, OMG, Not At Second Pe...

Disclaimer: I not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I didn't ever an' a will never. My life is too small fo' dat.  
  
Alter Ego: That's more like it! Come on; negative thoughts, negative thoughts..  
  
The Evil Laugh: Shut up. I'm juz sleepy.  
  
Alter Ego: *sarcastically* Really? I couldn't tell.  
  
The Evil Laugh: *throws a punch Ego's direction. Passes out from the strain before her fist makes contact* ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz  
  
Alter Ego: Awe, you almost gotta feel sorry for her, I mean, she was up late making me edit her story. She sat there and watched as I replace the 1st-3rd chapters, gave all the chapters titles, and posted up chappie number four. It was really strenuous ya know, watchin' someone else type on a computer screen.  
  
FYI, this is one of TEL's writings, not mine. I'm just converting it to the computer screen. She had to give it to me a while ago, so that, even though it's short, it took a while to put up.  
  
//......//-A Yami to [who else?] it's Hakari  
  
/....../-A Hakari to [duh] it's Yami  
  
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Yugi had reached school seconds before the bell rang. The reason was he had spent ten minutes waiting for Ryou at the corner with Joey, Tristan, and Tea. The white-haired kid was usually the first one there, actually waiting for everybody else. This change from the ordinary puzzled Yugi. Sensing his Light's concern, Yami was quick to suggest that maybe Ryou was ill and couldn't come. Yugi almost accepted this till he remembered Ryou never missed school, at the most maybe, he wouldn't show up for first period, but the boy had only done that once in the time Yugi had known him. Therefore, sure that his friend would appear an hour and a few missed assignments later, Yugi didn't think much about it for most of first period.  
  
Yugi got a little nervous when Ryou hadn't shown up for second period. He didn't have that class with the other boy, but would always pass him in the hall. This was because Ryou's teacher that hour never let the class until a while after the bell rang, stirring up the infamous, "Oh great, now I'm late for class." sarcastic remarks.  
  
Yugi started to become curious. Ryou had never attempted to miss a whole day of class before. Yami Yugi thought still that Ryou was ill, though nothing had ever kept him from school before. Once, Yugi had given Ryou one bitch of a illness on the senses when Ryou had forgotten his lunch and shared with Yug. Amazingly, while Yugi had been in bed for three days after he caught it, Ryou, who caught it in a very violent dose, still went to class, being very careful not to spread the disease. Only those who knew him could have told Ryou wasn't feeling well. He had hidden his headaches, scratchy throat, and weariness well by taking aspirin at break, not taking a lot, and drinking coffee with his lunch. For a while, Joey, Tristan, and Tea thought Ryou was having some sort of silent mental breakdown. It got really confusing when Joey had seen the white-haired boy taking some aspirin in the bathroom. Joey's first thought was that Ryou was on drugs or something and he didn't bother to verify it. It was a good thing Ryou found out and said he was ill, not a druggie, before Joey alerted the school counselor. In a few days, Ryou was back to normal after discovering he had caught the same thing as Yugi.  
  
Therefore, Yugi knew illness wasn't the reason for his friend's absence. He tried to think of another excuse for Ryou's no show, but all that crossed his mind was images of Yami Bakura and the Millennium Ring, which puzzled him. Maybe Bakura had taken control of his hakari's form. This would put Ryou in his soul room and unable to do anything about getting to school.  
  
Yugi's new conclusion was that Bakura had taken control of Ryou's body. He shot that down as well. Why would Bakura want to walk about in his light's slight shape when he could gain a physical enough form on his own? Yugi had now confused himself.  
  
Yugi remembered Ryou had been pretty spaced out at the party on Sunday. Maybe the guy missed his family after remembering them with his dad's visit. But this wasn't the first time Ryou's father had come to town, and the boy had never behaved like this before when his old man left.  
  
Yugi's darker half interrupted his thought. He sounded a bit annoyed.  
  
// Aibou, your friend Ryou has only missed two classes! //  
  
/ Going on three /  
  
//Yes, but that is no reason to worry about it. You're telling yourself he's never done this before, but remember the saying that there's a first time for everything? Well, it's true, you know //  
  
/ Oh yes, but I have the feeling something bad has happened to him; that he needs help /  
  
// I know, I can sense it in you. But you need to concentrate on your teacher right now. He's just hinted on a pop quiz around Thursday-Friday //  
  
/ I guess your right. And anyway. I'll have to get Ryou's assignments for him at break. I know he'll want them /  
  
With that, Yugi turned to listen to the teacher. He still thought it strange for Ryou not to show up, but it didn't bother him so much. He would give Ryou his homework whenever he did come [if at all] and find out then why he had been absent.  
  
// Yugi, listen to your teacher now //  
  
/ Okay. Sorry about that /  
  
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Alter Ego's 1st Author's Notes [when strangely, she didn't write this chapter]: Kay ya'll. The 4th chapter. And yes. I know it was, um, shorter than the others, but the next chapter was written by The Evil Laugh AND me, so it's completely different [if not a lot longer].  
  
Since The Evil Laugh is so conceited and therefore hasn't done so yet; I'd like to take this time to thank all of the reviewers. Ya'll have been very nice. I have gone through and read most of your stories and am pleased to have such great writers saying my story is good. OMG! I almost died. That would sux though, since I'd be dead and ergo, couldn't beat up Ryou in the next chapter(s).  
  
In other news; since bad format usually drives some people away, I, the Great Ego [and I say The Evil Laugh is self-absorbed] have edited the entire story, AGAIN! And we're making sure ya'll don't forget this too soon by putting up at lest one chapter everyday. I hope to get more reviewers this way ^_^  
  
Oh yeah, the next chapter [#5, OMG] will be long and probably take three days for me to copy correctly. It has some Ryou beating to look forward to [if you indeed look forward to it, cause I do]. In fact, that's pretty much ALL it has. Muwahahahahahahaha!  
  
{Wow! This AN was long!} 


	5. Chapter 5 Ryou, You've Just Seen Yoursel...

Disclaimer: *The Evil Laugh yelling at the top of her lungs* I DON'T OWN YU- GI-OH AND I DON'T KNOW WHY ANYONE WOULD THINK OTHERWISE!!!!!  
  
Alter Ego: You're still made about me running last chapter, eh?  
  
The Evil Laugh: No *evil grin* not at all.  
  
Alter Ego: Why do I doubt you?  
  
Ryou Bakura: 'Cause she's invited me! ^_^  
  
Alter-Ego: O.O AHHHHHHHH, NOT YOU, RYOU, NOOOOOO  
  
Ryou Bakura: Um, nice to see you too. O.o  
  
The Evil Laugh: Ignore her. We all KNOW she loves you.  
  
Ryou Bakura: Well, she's got a unique way of showing it; I'll give her that.  
  
The Evil Laugh: For you safety, and inevitably her own, that better be all you give Ego.  
  
Alter Ego: AHHHHHHH. *points at the Millennium Ring* That has sharp pointed pieces. Quick, stab them into my brain! Wait, don't, it belongs to, HIM. *runs off and crashes into a wall*  
  
Ryou Bakura: O.O Ouch! I felt that over here. Where'd that wall come from anyway?  
  
The Evil Laugh: *hiding wall controller* I, uh, have no idea. Lets get on with the story, shall we? Ego wrote it. *evil grin at Ryou* we all know what that means.  
  
Ryou Bakura: Oh dear gods. You don't mean.*grimaces at thought*  
  
The Evil Laugh: Here, *hands Ryou an ice pack* you might want this.  
  
Ryou Bakura: O.oU  
  
/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\  
  
Ryou moved around his closet/bedroom restlessly. The alarm on his watch went off. He had set it for break time at school. Ryou had been pacing for about an hour in his uniform waiting for the alarm. Picking up his school bag [a.k.a: backpack], he crossed the closet, exited to the actual bedroom, and progressed to the hall. As he passed under the attic hatch [which he failed to notice was open] something large crashed into him, mercilessly pinning him to the ground.  
  
Yami Bakura had Ryou's hands behind him in seconds in a bind causing pain to the boy if he tried to struggle. He lifted the child up of the ground and slammed him face/chest first into the wall. He was clearly in a bad mood and had decided to vent his anger out in his ingrate hakari.  
  
"Where do you think your going, little Ryou?" he said in a gruff venomous tone; his mouth just and few inches from his light's left ear.  
  
Ryou answered stuttering; the realization of what just happened hadn't full occurred to him yet. It's not that he was guilty of anything, he was just extremely frightened his Yami's sudden ambush.  
  
"I. I.*gulps* It's.that I must.school.  
  
Ryou pushed him harder into the wall and twisted the boy's are back with almost bone-breaking force. This caused Ryou to yell out and quick.  
  
"Ahhhh. IT'S SCHOOL! I'M GOING TO SCHOOL. STOPP-please-"  
  
Ryou yeledl out in pain as his darker half released his hold and strongly pushed Ryou into a corner. The boy's arms didn't come out quick enough and he had to pivot slightly so as to cause minimal damage to his face. This caused his right shoulder to absorb the harsh impact.  
  
Ryou hit the wall with a loud thud and instantly put his right side in the corner while shielding his head with his less battered left arm. This left his stomach area wide open, which resulted in the other delivering a kick to his gut. At that, Ryou doubled up.  
  
Yami Bakura continued towards Ryou. He leaned over him with his fists clenched, ready to pummel the shit out of his light, when he noticed Ryou had his "friggen" uniform on. He couldn't beat Ryou to a pulp while he wore his only daily required out fit [it would ruin the clothes]. Therefore, he angrily picked his Hakari up, as painfully as possible, by the back of the neck and dragged him towards the walk-in-closet/bedroom.  
  
"You can forget about going to school today. You're staying here." He said more to himself that to the child in his grasp.  
  
The Yami dragged his Hakari into the closet and tossed him in. Bakura liked keeping Ryou in there for many reasons. One, it was the only door to a room that locked from the outside and not vice versa. Two, it was a humiliating place to live. Three, he could here everything Ryou did quite well when the appliances were off and could hear it if the door was opened any time. And, finally, four; there weren't many places to hide when Bakura was on the rampage.  
  
"You're not leaving this room till I say you can. Therefore, no school; but I think your little friends will survive without you." Bakura said. He walked out slamming the door roughly.  
  
/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\/$\  
  
The Evil Laugh: Sooo Ryou, you've just gotten beat by your evil other side; how do ya feel?  
  
Ryou Bakura: -.-  
  
The Evil Laugh: That's what I thought.  
  
Alter Ego: Muwahahahahahahahahaha! Take that Albino Boy!  
  
The Evil Laugh: You shut up. We all know you love him.  
  
Alter Ego: Well, then I've got a unique way of showing it, eh?  
  
The Evil Laugh: *blinks* Wow, that's what Ryou said. I'm really freaked out now.  
  
Alter Ego: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! *runs off and crashes into wall*  
  
Ryou Bakura: There's that wall AGAIN! Seriously, how does it do that?  
  
The Evil Laugh: *hiding wall control* Uh, magic?  
  
AN: Hey ya'll. I had to punish Ego a bit here. That's the only reason Ryou is there. The next chapter will be made by the both of us. I need Ego to refreance it on the wounds he got. Also, I said this would be long, but I am working on another fic and have edited out my part on this story for this chapter and have made the new CH.6! I will be changing all of the names [though Ego doesn't want me to] so, ya'll will have to not think farther than "Must review, now" as you read! ^_^ . 


	6. Chapter 6 Ryou Preforms A Self Medical: ...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh and have nothing humorous to say about that fact today.  
  
Alter Ego: Awe, that's too bad.  
  
Ryou Bakura: I quite agree.  
  
Alter Ego: Ewww *no longer feeling the urge to run around like a lunatic at the sight of Ryou; shifts away from the white haired boy like he's a gross ugly bug or some dog crap; or a gross ugly bug on some dog crap* Your still here because-?  
  
Ryou Bakura: I can truthfully say, I don't know.  
  
Alter Ego: Did SHE make you a muse or something?  
  
Ryou Bakura: *eyes drop in self pity* Yes.  
  
Alter Ego: Damn. Good luck man. Not even you deserve that kinda treatment.well, sorta.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Ego, don't talk to Ryou. I don't want you to hurt him or something.  
  
Alter Ego: Don't worry. I'm quite sane now. I actually drove the speed limit on the way to school today.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Um, we didn't have school today, Ego. It's kinda Saturday.  
  
Alter Ego: I was wondering why nobody was there. Well, I know now.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Sure.---Ryou, get me a glass of water now.  
  
Ryou Bakura: How's that supposed to inspire you?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Maybe you'll spill it or something. Ya just never know.  
  
Ryou Bakura: You don't say?  
  
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Ryou hadn't spoken. In his mind he was in complete distress. He didn't enjoy missing school. It was nerve-racking for him to know to know what class he would be in if he were there. He doubted anyone would really care if he was gone. Ryou had never missed school before because there his Yami wouldn't even try to injury him, for it would cause quite the scene, especially with the Pharaoh around.  
  
Ryou rose up slowly. His right side ached from the colision with the wall. His arm he let hang limp at his side; it hurt to willfully move it to do anything. As he tried to stand, Ryou flinched as he realized just how badly his knee had taken the impact. Carefully, using only one hand for balance, he hobbled across the room to the large mirror that was in the closet door. It showed his reflection from his head down, which was what he was going for.  
  
First, Ryou studied his face. Not much injury there at all. Bakura had always been careful to not leave easy to see physical signs of abuse. Limps and aching limbs could be easily excused with an incident of almighty clumsiness at the house, or a very rough fall. Bruises on the face and large visible welts were not easy to make stories for. The classic was to say a bully did it, but that only made the teachers want to know who. It would really sound like one to many slams to the head to say and evil alter ego darker half had gained a bodily form and decided to beat the crap outta you.  
  
Ryou stood before of the mirror thinking numb to the pain for pleasant a while before remembering he'd better make sure he wasn't seriously hurt. He removed the top half of his uniform and, looking in the mirror, nearly passed out. Large blackish blue-green patches had started forming up and down his torso. His right arm and shoulder blade where it had hit the wall was a very dark, discusting shade of this, which contrasted greatly to Ryou's pale complexion. He made to mental note of no short sleeves for a while.  
  
After he recovered from the shock of his upper injuries, [which seemed to times ten their throbbing following his first peek] he located many other tender patches around his stomach and back. He thanked gods there were no serious bleedings, [which he called the welts that split] for he had no ointment for them in his room.  
  
Ryou grabbed his uniform again and place only the shirt on; not buttoning it to let some air flow while not having to gimpse his back again. The Millennium Ring swung about aimlessly. The metal was cool against the inflamed skin upon his chest. It's slight icey comfort seemed to mock all the burning hell it had put him through.  
  
Ryou was soon in front of the mirror, baggy boxers and large shirt only. His right knee greatly resembled his shoulder on the same side. Gingerly, he place his weight on it. He had to choke back a yelp. Pain shot up around his leg and hip along his entire nervous system. He swifty switched back to his left side. As carefully as he tried to put his uniform trousers back on, Ryou still managed to bring tears to his eyes attempting to maneveur his injured his injured knee into the pant's leg.  
  
Ryou finished and, trying to put as little preassure on his right side as was possible to cross a walk-in closet, he made for his bed/pile of blankets. He lowered his form down gently, laying, obviously, less painfully, on his left side facing the wall. Without pulling some covers over him, Ryou curled into a ball with his head resting in his knees staring at the blank wall.  
  
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The Evil Laugh: Lets take a break right here, shall we? Don't worry, this chapter still has a few more paragraphs to it. I just feel like asking Bakura how he feels about Ego's discription of "his" wounds.  
  
Ryou Bakura: *mouth opened in shock* Your violent Alter Ego wrote that?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yes, It was Ego who wrote that sad, piece of morbid reality. She's not all violence you know. She wins awards for tear worthy, ironic, dark stuff like that. She also wins for depressing yet constantly acurrate descriptions. Her section start were it says "First, Ryou studied his face" and goes on till this break. Then it's me again.  
  
Ryou Bakura:Amazing.---Where is she now?  
  
Alter Ego: Over at the other computer editing this entire fic!  
  
The Evil Laugh: Wow, really?  
  
Alter Ego: Yep.  
  
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After a few hours barely moving and a short nap, Ryou finally stirred. He reached under the covers and pulled out a box. It made a rattling noise like there were many small items inside. Ryou was just a bout to open it when he heard the front door to the house open. Having no windows in the closet, he couldn't see if it was his darker half leaving, vice versa, or someone else coming in or going out. He tapped into his Millennium Item slightly only to learn that Bakura was going. Ryou didn't want to risk being caught in trying to find out why.  
  
Ryou was alone in the house; locked in a cramped walk-in closet [it seemed to get smaller as he thought about it]. This gave him a strange errie feeling and he was suddenly strangely nervous. He put the box back and stared sadly at the wall again. There would be one hour left at school now.  
  
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The Evil Laugh: Now this chapter is finished.  
  
Alter Ego: I still don't see why you had to put that intermission in the nearing of the conclusion. It was pointless.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Why? It was about you.  
  
Alter Ego: I'm boring. You needn't say much about it.  
  
Ryou Bakura: I thought it was a little interesting.  
  
Alter Ego: *stares at Ryou then turns back to The Evil Laugh* Like I said, boring.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Whatever, as long as you keep helping with this fic, I'm fine.  
  
AN: That was pretty long. Don't ask why Ryou is being my muse. He's not so much one in this fic, but in my other story he never shuts up [even in the middle of the fic]. Ego's case of Ryouaphibia has lessened a bit. She isn't "running into" walls again. *hides wall controller* Ego also has started writing more distant, dark fics [under her screen name duh]. But she still edits my stories for me ^_^ Her new writing style is starting to show in Ryou's personality, so I might have to rewrite some parts that she originally had in the next chapters. She beats up Ryou so many times and then he has the most morbid ideas.  
  
Read and Review please! I need some things to read and positive reviews whould be just great! 


	7. Chapter 7 Is Ryou Crazy? He Couldn't Hur...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. But I will still write these boring fics.  
  
Ryou Bakura: Damn  
  
Ego: *in a boring lazy voice* Omg, someone call the papers, Ryou just swore.  
  
Ryou Bakura: It was for a good cause.  
  
Ego: Good cause my ass.  
  
Ryou Bakura: That malediction was irrelevant to the subject. I suggest you convert your response to a less profane exposition.  
  
Ego: Huh?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Both of you shut up, please. You two want to write this fic or something?  
  
Ego: Aren't I already writing.?  
  
Ryou Bakura: SURE! "And then Yami Bakura stopped beating up Ryou, and they live in peace forevermore. Ergo, concluding this terrible tale of unjustified pain to Hakari, Ryou Bakura."  
  
The Evil Laugh: That ending has about the chance of a snowflake in Hell.  
  
Ego: I'm cool with it. I sorta want to end this fic.  
  
The Evil Laugh: How could you both be so equally unsupportive? I'm in shock.  
  
Ryou Bakura: I'll survive without your writings quite well. How about you, Ego?  
  
Ego: Same here.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Why are you two getting along all the sudden?  
  
Ego: Well, It seems both Bakura and me actually have some things in common. For example: we are; [1] afraid of you.  
  
Ryou Bakura: [2] we dislike you.  
  
Ego: [3] we hate this fic.  
  
Ryou Bakura: [4] we both know more about duel monsters than you EVER will.  
  
Ego: And we, [5] both can't see where in Hell your fic is going.  
  
The Evil Laugh: *rolls eyes* Wow, you two will be announcing your official engagement any day now.  
  
Ego: Ewww. You've got one sick mind. Me? With Ryucko?  
  
Ryou Bakura: *smirks* Me and YOUR Alter Ego? With her personality, no chance in-  
  
The Evil Laugh: Don't say Hell again. I'm getting sick of it, you, and Ego. You're fired Ryou!  
  
Ryou Bakura & Ego: *now backstage leaving* YES!!! LETS GO HAVE A PARTY!!! / ^ _ ^ \ : [ ^ _ ^ ]  
  
Ryou Bakura: Everyone's invited!  
  
Ego" Well, 'cept maybe The Evil Laugh.  
  
The Evil Laugh: - _ - U Err; you are also both happy with me firing Ryou. AND you are going to have a party without me? WHY YOU LITTLE--- Lets just run the story now.  
  
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Yugi was now worried. It was seventh period and Ryou still hadn't shown up for school. Yugi knew his friend wasn't going to come at all. Joey, Tristan and Tea entered. He decided to ask them if they had even noticed anything. As soon as they sat down at the table, he questioned them;  
  
"Hey, have any of you seen Ryou to day. I'd don't think he came to school at all."  
  
All three of them thought back on their days. Tea, who had the best memory, replied first,  
  
"No, Yugi. I haven't seen him at all today but, I though I was the only one who noticed."  
  
"Same here," said Tristan after thinking hard, "but I hadn't really noticed, Ryou being so quiet an' all."  
  
"Whoa, ya mean he's actually missed a whole day of school?" inquired Joey.  
  
"Oh my, that is so unlike him!" exclaimed Tea.  
  
"Weird," Tristan stated, "Something must have happened him. Something BIG to cause Ryou to miss a whole day of school for once."  
  
"I know, that's what worries me so much," Yugi sighed, "The idea that something horrible might have happened to him is plausible. But, have any of you noticed how strange our friend has been acting? That supports my idea in a way."  
  
"Wha?" said Joey, "Ryou been behavin different. I didn't realize, I think. How do you think he's been actin different, Yug? Is it his dad?"  
  
"No, I don't think it's his father," replied Yugi' "But since you may or may not have noticed, Ryou has been acting more quiet and depressed. He's never been like that after his dad's left before. I think, actually, that he started behaving different a time before his father went to Egypt again."  
  
"Now that you mentioned it Yugi, I think he has been a little more, well, distant, than usual," agreed Tea.  
  
"Oh, like at the party yesterday!" Tristan blurted out suddenly.  
  
"Huh?" Joey implied.  
  
"What do you mean at the party yesterday Tristan. What happened?" As Yugi slightly alarmed.  
  
"Well, I just remembered this when you were takin about Ryou actin weird an' all. Did you notice that the whole time he stayed kinda separate from us the whole time? Well, I decide something was wrong and went to ask him if he was okay. Guess what. He did something so out of character for him," said Tristan, pausing melodramatically.  
  
"Tristan, tell us. You don't need to add a suspense factor in." Tea complained.  
  
"Oh, okay, but this is gonna rattle your hinges. Ya see---he lied."  
  
"So, I lie like a rug twenty-four seven. No biggie," shrugged Joey.  
  
"But Joey," explained Yugi, "Ryou never lies. Only Yami Bakura."  
  
Joey shrugged again, "How does Tristan know Ryou was fibbing anyway?"  
  
Tristan defended himself instantly; "It was easy to tell. He got real nervous like you do before a very big story. It was like he was choosing between two tales to tell. I think one of them was the truth, but he lost the courage or something before letting it out. He muttered finally really fast that he was fine, not looking me in the eye once. Ryou obviously doesn't lie often, cause, no offense to ya'll, but he sucks at it. Any who, I had forgotten about it. I was distracted by Yami Yugi yelling at Yami Bakura and, afterwards, ya'll served the cake. it was only natural it should have slipped my mind."  
  
"He truly lied to you, Tristan? That is so not like Ryou. I agree with Yugi; some things wrong with him." Tea said.  
  
Yugi had sat there listening. He can up with the only obvious course of action for the situation.  
  
"We could find out today; if Ryou is willing to tell us his problem," he started.  
  
"If; being the key word." muttered Tristan.  
  
"How, Yugi?" asked Tea.  
  
Yugi continued, "We could give him assignments after school. You know, go to his house, drop his homework off and casually ask why he was absent today. I mean, it's only natural we do so anyways."  
  
"Yeah, and if he gets nervous and avoids our question, we know something's wrong with him fo' real." Joey added.  
  
"Well, we'll try our best. We just have to try to not freak him out with lots of questions and stuff. Otherwise, he may avoid us completely, even at school, thinking we've formed some inquisition against him. Ryou is very quiet and only says what he thinks needs to be said only at the time he says it. And then, it's only to his friends; us. Around others he is almost completely silent and really sorta creepy, like he was to us before we got to know him."  
  
"What do ya mean? He still is creepy." Joey joked.  
  
"JOEY" The three of them scowled at once.  
  
" ^_^U He he. Just pickin chickens." Joey muttered, "Ya know what your remindein me of Yug? "  
  
Yugi looked at him puzzled, "What, Joey?"  
  
"Ms. Numred." Joey answered.  
  
Yugi still looked confused, "The school counselor?"  
  
"Yep. With all this quiet depression theory an all. Sounds like Ryou's one a' them nutcases she's always preachin' about. Ya' know, in those monthly lectures were she tells us if we see anyone mental to turn 'em in ta her."  
  
"Not turn them in Joey," Tea corrected him, "only send them to her for counseling. Otherwise they might end up hurting themselves or others."  
  
"Yeah," Joey laughed, "Ryou's gonna hurt us. He couldn't injure himself with loaded gun ta his head and a reason to die."  
  
"Gun to his head and a reason to die? Um, that's unique metaphor, Joey, to say the very least," Tristan, said nervously.  
  
"Shut it!" he snapped in reply.  
  
"Guys!" Tea said raising her voice in annoyance, "Anybody is capable of harming themselves. And it's not just physically. They can cause themselves mental torture. That's how many people go insane."  
  
"Oh, gods!" Joey exclaimed, "Yugi reminded me of Ms. Numred, but you talk is like hearin' the old bat's clone or somethin'. You're scarin' me Tea. Stop it, please, before it starts givin' me some a' that mental torture you were preachin 'bout."  
  
"Get a life," was Tea's rather uncharacteristic come back, "I'm just saying Ryou, if he has some mental issue, might need professional help."  
  
"One thing though, Tea," Joey stated.  
  
"What?" she replied.  
  
"What the Hell did Ryou ever do to ya? I mean, sending him to Numred? That would be cold, Tea, really cold. One might 'a gone so far as to call it inhumane." Joey complained.  
  
Tea looked down at him, "How would you know?"  
  
"I've been there," he told them, "That old crone thinks everyone is crazy. She's always giving the school those boring lectures on da 'mentally unstable' and tha 'social challenged'. Dey sound soo pointless, dat ya just start wonderin how it would feel to stab your lab pen into your thigh. Once ya do that, she's all over you an starts arrangin meetins or 'sessions'. The pen, on the other hand, hasn't gone past the length of a centimeter into your leg; if it's even pierced the skin that is. It won't even leave a scar or cause any serious blood flow if your pen happens to have an unusually sharp tip. Most of the time ya just get a little red mark similar to those gotten when a three year-old bits your wrist. But does Numred care? No, you've got your schedule for the next two years set out with 'help sessions' at Break or P.E. That's what will drive ya crazy fo real."  
  
Tristan stared at Joey in awe, "You mean you went from a normal life to daily Numred sessions and back again? You're a survivor for sure."  
  
Yugi just blinked.  
  
Tea scoffed, "There's nothing survival about counselor meetings for two years. Both of you are clearly overstating the ordeal."  
  
"So you admit it IS an ordeal? Like it's stressful or something?" Tristan blurted.  
  
"No it's just that-" Tea started, but was cut off.  
  
"This has nothing to do with Ryou you three," Yugi said suddenly, "There may be nothing wrong with him you know. He may not need to see Ms. Numred for more than asking to borrow her keys to help the science teacher get into the Janitor closet for supplies."  
  
Tea, Joey, and Tristan looked at him blankly.  
  
"I guess your right," Tea said a little sadly. The others nodded in agreement.  
  
"I know how eager you three are to have a friend in the nuthouse, but I'm hoping Ryou isn't crazy, okay?" Yugi said.  
  
There was silence for a long, long while; maybe about three to four minutes. Finally Tea spoke up,  
  
"Guys, I won't be going with you to Bakura's if your going after school."  
  
"Dance lesson?" Joey inquired.  
  
"Yep, right after classes." She answered.  
  
"Oh, well, uh, have fun, I guess," said Tristan not really caring. Joey was the same. Yugi at least had a bit of real well wishing in his reply, unlike his fellows.  
  
The area when silent again; this time for a larger period of time. The four of them shifted around awkwardly, as did the rest of the class. This time Joey broke the tense stillness. Loudly, he questioned for the room to here,  
  
"Dang, y'all. Where's the teach?"  
  
One cue, Mrs. Asute entered the room flushed from hurrying. She informed them that the elevator had broken, forcing her to use the stairs. She was planning to be late by only a few minutes, but stairs made it longer.  
  
As the teacher started lecturing on their current study, the whole class slipped into a deep stupor and waited, as one, for the bell to ring.  
  
]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[-]+[  
  
The Evil Laugh: I now know there is a party going on at the present time. It is amazing how fast Ego and Ryou can get their friends together in one place, even more so how they could make so much food in less time than the World Master Chef 2002 scrambles an egg. They MUST be invoking aid from the Shadow Realm. Looking at the guest list, also made quickly, I can stake my life on the fact that some of the people's names are cards titles with the letters switched around. Mark Ai Dacing is a.k.a; Dark Magician for sure!  
  
I am wondering why I wasn't invited. Maybe it's a 'Good Job On Getting Fired, Ryou' party. - _ - Errrrrrrrrrrr  
  
AN: Y'all, I do know I'm using the dubbed names. The reason is their easier to spell [for me] unless it Tristan/Honda. I just like the longer one there better. Don't ask.  
  
Remember last chapter when I mentioned I wanted to have positive reviews to have something to read? Well, I was kinda hinting for ya'll to review, FYI. I am starting to, OMG, loss confidence with this fic. I wonder if ya'll even care! *cries* 


	8. Chapter 8 Breaking Out Of A Walk In Clos...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. If I did, sure as Hell I wouldn't be writing this.  
  
~NOTES TO SELF~  
  
Hey, It's kinda quite without a muse or a co-writer. I should really get a memo out for a new cast member.  
  
Oh, and I think I should stop hanging around the laundry room. You might get the idea why if you read this chapter.  
  
The groups, Three Doors Down and the Goo Goo Dolls brainwashing me [to do what exactly???] isn't helping either.  
  
**__**--**__**--**__**--**__**--**__**  
  
Ryou sat atop the dryer. He still had a very neat uniform on. There were a few crumples in the fabric only he recognized as imperfections. The clothes that had been previously in the washer he had transferred to the machine he was now upon. It vibrated in a steady taboo against the wall warming up the surrounding area slightly as the items inside gyrated around in an ever-constant circle. For a while, the machine's efforts were what held Ryou's attention. He looked through the glass door below him, fascinated by the everyday, ordinary, tumble dry system. The boy was clearly bored out of his mind.  
  
Ryou was like this for a frighteningly long time. Had anyone else been there, they might have been quite creeped out. But, of course, if someone else were there, Ryou wouldn't have been so bored to begin with. The door might have been open too.  
  
After a while, Ryou started thinking about the one exit. He began to wonder; what if the door was no longer locked? It was old, and was easy to pick from the inside or out. Maybe the door had slipped and not closed entirely. But even if it was shut fast, Ryou knew he could manipulate the bolt out of the door's frame. He had done it before many times in the past. The process was rather loud though, so he never attempted it with Yami Bakura in the house. Ryou rathered to be locked in for fourteen hours instead of invoking the ancient spirit's wrath. He had learned that reasoning like that kept him well longer; it also hurt a whole lot less.  
  
Ryou hopped of the dryer quickly. He soon regretted it, as his weight was rudely placed upon his sore knee. It retaliated with a sharp surge of pain through the boy's entire nervous system. It seemed almost like the Yami Bakura knew what his hakari was about to do, trying to remind him of who was in charge with a past injury making it's present known rather abruptly. Ryou winched and barely kept his balance by grabbing the edge of the washing machine. But even though they were linked mentally, Ryou knew his Yami wouldn't be able to sense his light's escape without reentering his mind completely. It was rather stupid and paranoid to think otherwise.  
  
Slowly, the white-haired boy limped towards the door and tried the lock. It was shut tight. Ryou, though, knew how to open it. For a while he fidgeted with the bolt and the knob. After a bit of struggle due to little practice, he was able to coax the contraption open.  
  
Sticking his head out nervously, he couldn't hear anything but his own sharp breaths from the agony he bestowed upon his throbbing knee. After reassuring himself of the comforting silence, he crossed the bedroom and exited to the hall. First place he headed for was the bathroom.  
  
Ryou stared at his reflection once again. The swelling in his left knee was hideous, as was his back and arm on the same side. He doctored them best he could, and made his next stop in the kitchen. From the freezer above the frig he got an ice pack and strapped it to his knee with a belt as he made a hasty, cold breakfast. He soon exited the kitchen, turkey sandwich on a plate in his hand, to the hall and dragging his backpack along  
  
Ryou made it to the living room. He placed his snack upon the coffee table and all but fell onto the couch dropping his bag to the ground. He had about two hours till the time he usually got home. He raised his leg and took the belt off, letting gravity keep the ice pack on. After getting as comfortable as he could with his banged up knee, he looked around the room.  
  
There was a TV on a small table, a big window, and an electric fireplace all on the same wall. The room was the biggest in the house. In a corner was a recliner and, next to it, the couch Ryou was on. He had his leg table propped up on the long coffee table that was before him. Looking around his eyes grew hazy as he remembered when this 'living' room had seemed everything but.  
  
The boy's distant glaze turned to the recliner. How many times had he finally been caught in his last attempt to hide behind something bigger than his Darkness? Yami Bakura used to always beat on Ryou in the living room. It WAS the biggest room in the house, but had the fewest hiding places. Now the light only ever entered the room if his Yami wasn't home. To many times he had gotten the crap knocked out of him there. The worst injuries he could remember were in the room; when Yami Bakura had still hit Ryou's face. It would sometimes have come close to resulting in Ryou's death had his darkness given that last hard blow to the head or the one fatal slash. But, the spirit of the ring had been careful. End Ryou, and he would end himself as well. He wasn't THAT desperate to be rid of the child. Ryou stared forward blindly thinking back on the unpleasantries.  
  
The boy snapped out of it after a little while and ate his sandwich nervously. He decided he didn't want to stay in the room any longer. Ryou got his things up and limped out. When he reached the empty bedroom, he sat himself down in a corner as far away from the closet door as he could get. Opening his backpack he took out a project he needed done for Science. The next thirty minutes he spent completing it.  
  
**__**--**__**--**__**--**__**--**__**  
  
Ryou had finished and rechecked all his homework. He now sat down on the floor in the light of a window looking through the trinket box. He had many items before him and was dividing them up into piles. They were all gifts people had given him plus some stuff he had found. Ryou learned that when you're quiet and reserved, nobody knows what to get you for a gift. Therefore, they go off and find all these knick-knacks and junk to bestow upon you.  
  
Many of the things were from the boy's father. A bunch of Egypt themed objects that included the Millennium Ring. Some if the things were actually quite valuable so, Ryou took good care of them.  
  
Other objects came from his friends who were completely clueless to anything Ryou would ever want. Most were one-person game things. The monopoly figure of a boat [It's in Ch.#1 ya'll] was from the one game he had ever almost beaten Yugi at. Of course, Yami Yugi hadn't tried to play so as to give Ryou, Joey, Tea some chance of winning. It was surprising to everyone when all were bankrupt save Ryou and, obviously, Yugi. They were all shocked when the taller boy had come so close to winning.  
  
There was next to this a pile that held items he had found lying around. Some he suspected were Yami Bakura's, but was to scared to give it back in case his dark might accuse him of stealing the things. One of the objects he found once was something of his Yami's. Ryou didn't know so till his other side told him he had lost an object that fit its description. His Yami had ordered his Hakari to find it soon, or else, thinking Ryou didn't know where it was. That was when Ryou found out it was gone. Yami Bakura had been in a bad mood ever since It disappeared, becoming, if possible, even more violent. He had kept his light from school that day from the frustration and tension. Ryou's limping reminded him he better find the item soon, or who knew what his dark would do.  
  
Ryou sat there staring at the mess of knick-knacks before him. They were his [except ones that he had just happened on]. Amazingly, not even his other half was aware the box or its contents even existed, or, strangely, he knew and didn't care. The latter being most unlikely.  
  
There was suddenly a knock on the door that made Ryou jump. Instinctively, he shoved all the items back into their container and stood up quickly, too quickly, before freezing in fright. Did he lock the door? If so, had he locked out his Dark? Of course his other could enter the house through Ryou, but then he'd be angry with the Hakari for leaving his room. He'd also what to vent some anger for locking himself out. Ryou sat there, petrified. His heart was beating like a drum beneath his chest.  
  
His heart's percussion apparently had rampaging elephants for its inspiration, because Ryou couldn't hear a thing over it. It took the boy a while to realize that doorbell, steel knocker, and fists were being used. He calmed down a bit. Ryou's Yami would have already entered through his light by now. It must be someone else. School was over. Maybe it was Yugi and Comp. Slowly, ignoring his leg, Ryou went to answer the door, hoping it wasn't Yami Bakura trying to test him. That wouldn't be very good either.  
  
**__**--**__**--**__**--**__**--**__**  
  
Alter Ego: Well, another chapter. The next will be sorter I think. I won't put it up till next week though. I think. You won't find up who was knocking till Ch.10  
  
AN: I'm only typing this because I got a real good review. I thank the reviewer too, a lot but I don't have their name on me right now. I wonder why in 2 weeks I've only gotten 1 review. Guess I'll go back to my humor fic. I think it's actually doing better. Ya'll review if ya want any more of this story. I have better things to do than write fics you know, like my English assignment Power Point Presentation due on the 14th of October. 


	9. Chapter 9 Knocking Stops And No Ones The...

Disclaimer: The Evil Laugh doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
Dang, I didn't know that may people like this fic. I'm glad I warned ya about my dieing confidence instead of just stopping. Wow, I would have put all ya'll down if my fic hadn't succeeded in doing so already. I can't believe my reviews went up by, like, 6!  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
This chapter bounces back to Yugi & friends. It's about a twenty minutes [at max] farther back in time than where the previous chapter stopped. School has just ended for the day.  
  
=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=  
  
The school day was finally over. Yugi, Joey, and Tristan were standing on the sidewalk. Tea had just left for her dance lessons.  
  
"Okay," said Yugi looking through the neat papers in his hands, "I have Ryou 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 7th period assignments. You, Joey?"  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Joey pulled forward his pack. He quickly removed some papers that were slightly crumpled, "Got 2nd and 5th right here." He handed the grubby sheets to Yugi.  
  
"Uh, thank you, Joey. Tristan, did you get his 4th period work from Mrs. Ghaid?" Yugi asked the pointy haired boy.  
  
"Yeah," he replied, holding out a folder. Mrs. Ghaid id like, obsessed with the Cold War She gave the class a whole new project. We each got our own special reaserch topic to choose. I feel kinda sorry for Ryou," he remarked handing the folder to Yugi, "He got landed with the topic nobody else wanted next to Brief Summary of the Cold War. He's assigned; Cuban Missile Crisis and How It Affected More Than Just Russia and the United States. Ha! Aka: How the Crisis Affected Japan in One-Thousand Pages."  
  
"Did it really affect Japan?" Yugi asked thinking about it.  
  
Tristan shrugged, "That's anyone's guess. As far as I care, the thing didn't bother Japan at all."  
  
They all stood in silence thinking about this. Even Joey had began to ponder the topic. Yugi was the first to come back to reality.  
  
"Um, shouldn't we be getting to Ryou's?"  
  
Joey and Tristan snapped out of their semi-trance.  
  
"Oh! Yeah." they said hasitily.  
  
The three made there way to Ryou's. When they were a block away, Tristan though he saw the white haired boy ahead of them. The tree of them speed up to reach him.  
  
=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=  
  
Ryou listened to the knocking as he limped towards the door. He was terrified out of his wits. After what seemed to him the equvilant of a mile sprit, he reached the entrance, panting short breaths from exaustion (or was it panic?). Warily, he reached out for the door knob. Whoever was on the other side of the door was still banging. The door rattled and splintered with every bang. Whatever it was must have really wanted to get in. Ryou's hand was not millimeters from the knob. He shut his eyes and clasp it with his fingers.  
  
Almost instantly the knocking stopped. Ryou opened his eyes and strained his ears. It was dead silent. He couldn't hear anything form the other side if the door. This was more than a little creepy. How could all that noise and cracking just stop?  
  
Ryou opened the door and stuck his head out slowly. There was nobody there. He looked at the porch steps and saw the footprints of about five pairs of feet leading towards the first step. Dirt went up and onto the porch platform all the way to the door, which was pretty banged up from being hit so violently. A few splinters were on the ground. The knob was scratched up all around the key hole. Whoever [or whatever] had been tryibg to get in was desperate.  
  
Ryou was shocked. It took him a while to realize there was something on the ground. It was a small box, about as big as a CD case, made entirely of a wood that might have been ebony. Either that, or the surface was stained black. Next to it was a small red book. Ryou bent down the best he could and lifted both items up. He went back inside, not locking the door, staring at them.  
  
Without even thinking about it, he headed for the living room. Ryou placed the box down and leafed through the book. It was written in and old, slanted, and very elaborate hand. In the dark it was near impossible to translate all the swirls and loops. He reached for a lamp switch and pulled. No light came on. Ryou scowled himself for being so stupid. Nothing that needed an outlite worked in the living room. He knew that.  
  
Ryou put the book down and took up the box. He noticed that there was an design carved into the lid. The pattern went right through the wood and let light into whatever was or wasn't inside. The cuts were to small and the room to dark for him to see to the onside though.  
  
Ryou then tried to open the box which didn't give. He search for the reason and found a latch on one side. Carefully, he undid it and opened the container. Inside was lots of black cushioning. Ryou looked at the item in the center.  
  
He nearly dropped the box as his hands began to shake.  
  
=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=  
  
Tristan and the others caught up with the white haired boy. As it turned out, it was Yami Bakura in a bad mood.  
  
"What do YOU want?" he snareled heatedly as they approached.  
  
"Clam down would cha?" Joey shot back, "We're just going to visit Ryou."  
  
The darker half smirked, "And I suppose you though I was him? You're a fool."  
  
"That isn't nice, Bakura." Yugi said with zero fear.  
  
Yami Bakura glared at the shorter boy. His eyes went straight to the Millennium Puzzle. He walked up to Yugi and stood tall and menacing, staring down at him. Yugi's hand twitched slightly. Yami Bakura smirked and spoke mockingly with a hint of evil laughter in his voice.  
  
"Well, I guess I'm not a 'nice' guy, little Yugi.  
  
"Stop it now, Thief," came the deep commanding voice of Yami Yugi who had left his soul room at his lights distress. He was now standing in a form behind his Hakari.  
  
Yami Bakura quickly took a step back. He found the wall behind him and slouched against it. His eyes never left the Puzzle.  
  
"If that is all, Yugi's friends and I will be on our way to Ryou. Did you know your light missed school today?"  
  
The other Yami shrugged, "Yeah, so? Not my problem."  
  
Yami Yugi glared at him, "Wake up Tomb Robber! Your Hakari is your problem. He missed school. Do you even know or care why?"  
  
"Well, can't really say I do, Pharaoh." Ryou's darker half replied.  
  
Joey looked at him angerly, "You mean he's your friggen other half and you DON'T CARE!"  
  
Yami Bakura raised his eyebrow, "That's what I'm saying, is it not?"  
  
"That's cold Bakura. That's real cold." Tristan said.  
  
"How would feel if Ryou died or something? Would ya care then?" Joey asked.  
  
"Yes, but not for any loving emotional reason you might think of. I need Ryou to exist. Without him, I go back to the Ring. But I though even YOU knew that, Baka.  
  
Yami Yugi nodded in understanding, "So you would never help you Hakari unless he was dieing, and then it would only be to help yourself? Thief, you are lower than the worms in the Earth."  
  
"Yeah and twice as discusting!" Joey added.  
  
Yami Bakura smirked again. His eyes still watched the Puzzle. Yugi looked at hai and finally spoke up,  
  
"Well, come on guys. We want to reach Ryou's don't we?"  
  
"Yeah," Joey replied. The others thought the same and began to walk away. Yami Bakura tore his glaze from the Millennium Item and spoke up, watching Yami Yugi.  
  
"Wait, Pharaoh."  
  
The taller Yugi stopped and faced the speaker, "Yes?"  
  
"There's something I need to discuses with you," He said.  
  
"What?" said the irritated Yami Yugi.  
  
"A little something you ought to know about. A trinket, to mere mortals, yet much, much more. Especially to us." Yami Bakura hinted.  
  
Yugi's darker half's eyes great larger, "It's been moved? How long?"  
  
"I'd tell you, but they're here," he nodded to Joey, Tristan and Yugi.  
  
Yugi looked to his dark, "Don't worry Yami. We'll go to Ryou's. You can talk to Bakura."  
  
"Okay, but I'll be back as soon as he's done talking."  
  
"I know," Yugi said. He turned to Joey and Tristan, "Come on guys. Lets go."  
  
Yami Bakura cleared his throat and the Pharaoh's attention was switched to him. Both Dark walked away to discusse the lost item. Yugi, Joey, and Tristan went towards Ryou's.  
  
=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=o=-O-=  
  
The Evil Laugh: Well, another chapter. If ya'll haven't noticed, I now put up new chapters once a week. That's because I only get to use Ego's computer on weekends. But I type everything up on weekdays. So I'm sorry if I seem a bit slow.  
  
Thank you all who wished me good luck on my Power Point. I haven't received my grade for it yet, but I hope it's good. I finished it Monday. 


	10. Chapter 10 Ryou Is Seriously Takin The W...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I don't own an Internet screen name. I use Ego's.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Ha! Another chapter up without fail. I do not even know the meaning of writer's block.  
  
Ego: *turns to readers* Yeah, seriously, she doesn't. But she's had way too much cough syrup at the moment.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Ahahahahahahahahahaha.  
  
Ego: *clears throat* Ehem, what about the words 'cold' and 'sick in bed'?  
  
The Evil Laugh: *stops smiling* That's not funny.  
  
Ego: Yes, but it's true, so go back to your room and for the gods sake, blow your nose.  
  
The Evil Laugh: RYOU, GET ME SOUP!  
  
Ryou Bakura: -_-U *from far away*NO WAY! I'M FIRED, REMEMBER?!  
  
The Evil Laugh: *sniffles snot into her brain* Damn. *starts coughing her lungs out*  
  
Ego: Disgusting, roll fic!  
  
IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJJJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI  
  
Yugi, Tristan, and Ryou arrived at Ryou's. They approached the building silently for there seemed to be something eerie about the place. As one, all three boy's eyes followed the many footprints leading to the front door.  
  
"Whoa," said Joey. "Guess Ryou's got a lot a visitors."  
  
"Ya'll they may still be there, look," Joey said pointing at the ground, "None of them lead away from the building."  
  
"Weird," Yugi muttered, "Who would visit Ryou on a school day in such large numbers?"  
  
Tristan and Joey shrugged.  
  
They approach the house slowly. No sounds came from the building. Following the same route as the footprints, they went up the porch and to the door, which was closed. Yugi and the others knocked on it, but there was no sound from inside.  
  
"Yo, anybody home?" Joey yelled loudly.  
  
There was no reply. After a while, Tristan started trying to find another way in. He spotted a window above the porch that was opened. The boy pointed it out to Joey who began to climb the porch support beams.  
  
It was Yugi who came up with the bright idea to see if the door was even locked or not. He grabbed to knob, feeling deep scratches in the metal. He noticed to door was rather beat up, like something had really been trying to get in. Yugi looked down at the footprints. Something wasn't right.  
  
To all three's amazement, the door opened easily. Cautiously they entered the rather dark house. Even Joey and Tristan were wary; Yugi knew that they too had seen the state or the door.  
  
"Ryou, you here?" Joey yelled.  
  
"Yes," came the soft reply that was almost drowned out by Joey's calls.  
  
"Where are you?" Yugi state loudly.  
  
"Living room," replied the boy. His voice sound a bit strange to Yugi at the two words, but the short boy found him soon anyway.  
  
Ryou Bakura was sitting on a recliner in a very dark room. Yugi had to squint to see anything. The recliner was in a corner. The lamp above it was switched off. Ryou sat under it still as a statue. The lack of light made his complexion look even paler than usual and his eyes look darker, almost black, which was kinda creepy. Yugi had though it weird how much Ryou skin contrasted with almost everything he wore. Especially the dark blue Domino High uniform. The only reason that crossed the little boy's mind his friend was wearing his schools clothes. This surprised Yugi. He wondered why Ryou was sitting alone, in a corner with no lights on.  
  
"Ryou, what are you doing?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Reading," was the short answer.  
  
"Wha? How do ya read in this fix?" Joey asked squinting through the dimness.  
  
Ryou didn't say anything, just held up a flashlight. He turned it on and they were all temporarily blinded by the brightness. Smiling, he playfully pointed the beam at Joey.  
  
"Ahhhhhh, my eyes!" he said as Tristan pointed and laughed. The pointy haired boy was next for this.  
  
"Help, I'm blind!" he yelled as Joey recovered and started laughing at him.  
  
Finally, Yugi, who tried to block the light,  
  
"Hey!" he yelled.  
  
Ryou pointed the light at the ceiling again. The other three were laughing at each other. Ryou just smiled at the mirth he had caused without saying a word.  
  
"So," said Yugi recovering, "What were you reading, Bakura?"  
  
Ryou briefly held up a small red book. He put it down quickly; his smile slightly faded.  
  
"Ooo," said the ever-troublesome Joey, "Ya gotta diary or something?"  
  
"No," said Ryou sharply glaring at him.  
  
"Oh, okay, whateva ya say, Bakura." Joey smirked.  
  
The other three gave him equally malicious glares. He shut up instantly.  
  
"Ryou," said Yugi after a slight pause, "Why did you miss school today?"  
  
Ryou lost whatever grin was left on his face after the book question. His skin went paler, which was kind of amazing due to the fact that he was very white already.  
  
"My leg was hurt," he said shortly. Instantly the others eyes went to the boys knees. They all noticed the ice pack now. Joey gritted his teeth,  
  
"I suppose ya Yami had somethin ta do with it all den."  
  
Ryou looked up at him alarmed and nervous. His voice was shaky,  
  
"W-with what?"  
  
"With your not going to school. He could have helped cha out ya know. It wouldn't have killed him," Joey said angrily.  
  
"Oh," replied Ryou, obviously relived.  
  
"Hey, I was wonderin'."said Tristan, "What up with the lights? Kinda creepy if ya ask me. Are you going through some 'dark' phase or somethin'?""  
  
Ryou smirked slightly, "No, the circuits running through the house are kinda messed up. Only a few appliances work. They take up all the working outlets."  
  
"Oh," said Joey, "Guess the heater don't work, den?"  
  
"Huh?" Ryou looked at him confused.  
  
"It's freezin' in here!" the blonde stated loudly.  
  
"It's the air conditioner." Ryou said.  
  
"Why's it set so cold?" Joey asked.  
  
"I-I don't know really," Ryou answered thinking hard. He shrugged, " I didn't notice it really, to tell you the truth."  
  
"Of course you wouldn't." said Joey, shivering dramatically and partly buttoning his jacket, "...you wear your uniform all warm-like."  
  
Ryou nodded.  
  
"Hey, Bakura. What's this?" Joey asked jumping at a small table and lifting an object from it. He held up a small box. It was about as big as CD case, was black, and had carvings all over the lid.  
  
Ryou gasped and grabbed it from the other boy as he began to look inside. Joey's grip was light and the white-haired boy was able to get box without rising. When it was in his grasp, Ryou instantly held it to his chest. He gave the blonde a look that said 'back off'. This startled his three guests.  
  
"Shish, sorry Ryou," said Joey. The other boy just glared at him.  
  
The room became uncomfortable silent. The others shifted uneasily under the look Ryou gave Joey. Finally, Yugi spoke up,  
  
"Um, Joey, Tristan? Maybe you two could go to the kitchen and make a sandwich or something..."  
  
"Sure thang!" Joey yelled as him and Tristan made a mad dash for where ever the kitchen was. Yugi stayed where his was in front of Ryou sitting on the coffee table. After a pause, in which the white haired boy placed the box down timidly on the floor next to him, Yugi spoke up,  
  
"Ryou?"  
  
"Hmm?" replied the other.  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure, Yugi, anything," Ryou shrugged.  
  
"Okay. Can you tell me why you're acting weird all of the sudden?  
  
Ryou looked up at him. There was something small very sad in his eyes that Yugi had never noticed before. Ryou answered firmly,  
  
"I am not acting 'weird'."  
  
Yugi realized his error and grinned a bit to try to lighten his friend's mood.  
  
"Okay, maybe weird was more than a bit insulting."  
  
Ryou was unchanged, which sort of dampened the small boy's act. Yugi looked at him again, avoiding the eyes this time and rephrasing his words.  
  
"What I mean is that, I dunno, but it seems you've changed. Like you're more withdrawn; ya know, all quiet and stuff. It really strange. Ryou, it appears something is obviously bothering you."  
  
Yugi sounded concerned and Ryou didn't doubt he was. But he couldn't tell him. He couldn't tell anyone. If Yugi knew then Yami Yugi would find out eventually. Ryou didn't want Yami Bakura's worst enemy to know the one evil thing he'd never boast about. Yugi's Dark would most likely banish Yami Bakura to the Shadow Realm yet again he would come back made at his Hakari. That wouldn't solve anything, since Ryou was already mad at himself for what he answered,  
  
"Nothing's wrong, Yugi, nothing's changed. You are mistaken."  
  
Ryou lied. He didn't want to, but he did.  
  
"But Ryou." Yugi muttered watching his friend. Ryou looked by pure accident at his eyes. They wanted the truth, the real answer Ryou wouldn't give. The eyes were pleading to know what had made him so cold.  
  
"There is nothing wrong with me." Ryou state in a flat, cold monotone; his eyes hardened a bit. This startled Yugi a bit and he quickly looked away.  
  
Ryou watched his friend's reaction sadly. Great, now he was some depressed, angry person who hurt his friends. Friends that maybe cared about him more than he did himself. Ryou did wish he could let them know; wish that in some way they could maybe be able to help. But he knew they couldn't fix the situation at all. He didn't doubt they'd want to, but wanting to was a lot different than actually achieving something better. Ryou didn't want his friends to worry about him. He didn't need their pity. All that didn't help with anything. He still felt bad about having to lie though.  
  
Ryou watched his hurt friend. Yugi couldn't see, couldn't guess what was wrong with Ryou. Yugi knew he was suffering from something but was denying it harshly in his friend's face. Ryou almost laughed out loud at the idea/fact that he had no will of his own. His Dark controlled him even when he wasn't around. Yugi didn't know THAT. If Ryou kept his lies up and well planned, he never would.  
  
It took Ryou a moment to realize the other boy had spoken, but he caught every word though Yugi was speaking more at the floor than at him.  
  
"Well, if you say you're okay, then I don't doubt it.." Ryou's head screamed angrily; he had hoped Yugi wasn't going to say that. The next words he almost had to gag himself to keep the truth from slipping out, ".you were never the one to lie, Ryou. I was just curious. I guess you really haven't changed. Heh, maybe I was just fooling myself like you said." Ryou's mouth twitched slightly, but Yugi was staring at the floor, ".I believe you." Yugi looked into Ryou's eyes then as he finished.  
  
Ryou looked away guiltily. 'I believe you' echoed in his head. Yugi trusted him. Ryou had used that to his advantage. He watched the hard wood wall, thinking of what a relief it would be to just start smashing his head against it till he'd forgotten everything. Then he'd be in the oh-so-happy reaches if pure insanity.  
  
Ryou thought horrible ways he could destroy himself from the inside out. Sure, it was a simple lie he had just told, but he knew they would accumulate. He would turn from them all, fail to serving his Darkness, a slave to his lies and his Yami. He would become more like the Tomb Robber, lies twenty-four seven. Using everything to keep others from knowing anything, for only what it all did for him: choosing easy over right. Ryou hated himself for lying to them, to himself, and for knowing they could most likely see right through him.  
  
"Yugi, come in here!" came Joey voice from the kitchen, "Bakura's got chocolate ice cream!"  
  
Yugi sighed and rolled his eyes. He got up and headed for wherever the blonde haired boy was. Knowing Joey and Tristan, all that would be left in the kitchen would be the bite of ice cream he wanted Yugi to see.  
  
Ryou watch him go. How long could he really keep this up? Lies were not his best suit, but he supposed it was perfected with practice. He didn't want to find out if this was true. He didn't want fibs to become second nature at all. He feared they might. His friends would believe him. What scared him was when his friends would finally find out like he simply knew they would. None of them would trust him again.  
  
Ryou sat there silently listening to the others gorge on the food his father had bought while he was staying. If he was lucky, Joey wouldn't eat everything like some Food Vacuum of Doom. He looked down at his first assignment and sighed at the title. "Cuban Missile Crisis and How It Affected More Than Just Russia and the United States" Next to it, written in Joey's sloppy handwriting was: Aka: How the Crisis Affected Japan in One- Thousand Pages.  
  
"This is going to take me forever," he muttered.  
  
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The Evil Laugh: Aren't we great writers? *sneezes*  
  
Ego: Yeah, just don't cough on me, kay?  
  
[Ego is too busy hacking her lungs out to respond]  
  
A/N: Sorry ya'll, I do have a cold. No joke, it, well, sucks. I'm afraid I might kill myself with all the aspirins I'm takin along with cough syrup and cold pills. I feel rather groggy. I have to like go and sanitize my computer at home. Ego's 'mum' [sry I wuv da way Ego sayz dat] won't let me touch theirs.  
  
I'm like in shock I got this out by Monday, when I started typing last night! I didn't stop till my nightquill (sp?) kicked into action. It is hard to resist the power of the green [or was it blue?] pill. Good thing Ego is right next door to take my disc and update the story for ya'll. It's good to be back on my seven-page size. I've been stopping at five for a while, ergo, the chapters are long again! And Ego is helping as well, even if she might get sick!  
  
Kay, ya'll read and review. I wuv reviews as well. I need something to read if I miss school tomorrow. *grabs for a tissue as she begins to sneeze* 


	11. Chapter 11 It's Raining, Trip To The Pos...

*Disclaimer: Fanfiction.net kicked me off uploads for a week.  
  
Ego got the cold over the school week.  
  
I suck at spelling.  
  
Guess what else is new,  
  
I STILL don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!*  
  
  
  
Alter Ego: Yeah, that or a decent spell check program.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Shut up. It's not my fault my computer sucks.  
  
Alter Ego: Yeah, but cheapness is hereditary.  
  
The Evil Laugh: No, it's a set example.  
  
Alter Ego: Is giving the whole neighborhood the cold a set example?  
  
The Evil Laugh: No, it's instinct. ^_^U  
  
Alter Ego: Ah, I see, you're in denial.  
  
The Evil Laugh: WHY YOU LITTLE. *throws a punch at Ego who ducks*  
  
Alter Ego: Ahhh! *runs away*  
  
Ryou Bakura: How did the BOTH of you ever make this chapter together? *Ego is running around like a manic while being hunted down by The Evil Laugh* I swear to Bob, you two are mental. I think you'll be better off that I just show the fic now, so the readers don't see anymore of this embarrassment to the human intellect.  
  
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
  
It was a five days later. Ryou had been using crutches for the remainder of the school week, but it hadn't been very hard since many girls wanted to hold his books for him. He couldn't quite get over why, though. I was sorta amusing and more than a little disturbing.  
  
Ryou had stopped using the supports after school on Friday. It seemed his leg had been better off than he'd thought. Every few steps he would limp, but it wasn't bad. His Yami, who, strange enough, only hurt Ryou for 'punishment', hadn't found anything to smack the boy around for while he was leaning on crutches with his knee injury. This didn't mean he left out the verbal abuse, but that was easier for Ryou ignore. A fist to the chest is obviously a twit harder to block out then some uncensored insults.  
  
The day was now Saturday. Ryou sat in the office room of the house. In here was the basic furniture; a desk, computer, phone, 9inx8in television, books in bookcases, and office supplies. These included what Ryou was looking for; envelopes, tape, pens, and paper. Next to Ryou on the desk were the small black box and the red book. In his hand was a big envelope, big enough for one of the items. He was writing an address on the front. Finished, he stared out the window.  
  
It was a wet day. The setting sun showed barely through the maze of buildings on the not so distant horizon. Its golden rays reached out and cast long shadows on the sidewalk. Puddles were all over the ground in large shiny blotches that shimmered in the fading sunlight. It had been raining on and off all week, leaving the air damp and heavy. Ryou thought it was kinda nice though when the breeze was blowing lightly. Otherwise it was just wet with the threat of more rain to come.  
  
That day had been the type where you stay inside throughout the hours. Ryou had spent his time with his friends; Yugi, Joey, and Tristan. The group had been at the arcade trying to see if Joey could beat all the high scores in some wrestling game. Yugi tried as well so that when they had finished, the board read: YAMI, YUGI, JOEY. The little Motou's Dark had only played once to knock off the genius in names before him; FUKR.  
  
The two game obsessed boys and the Yami had gone through the arcade for two hours straight 'cleansing' all the score boards from the foul three to four letter names some witty morons had put up. Tristan had spent his time making cracks about whenever Joey or Yugi 'died' in a video game [Yami never did.go figure]. Him and Ryou tried a few, but Ryou's thumbs weren't very coordinated while Tristan wasn't even trying. The two were only good [or decent in he white haired boys opinion] at one game, but sadly enough for both, there were no high scores for the pinball machine or snack counter. They just got food for themselves, Joey, and Yugi when they got bored and Ryou spent almost an hour listening to Tristan go on and on about this girl who always wore a ribbon he liked that Ryou had never seen. The quiet boy had almost fallen asleep standing when Yami, Joey, and Yugi report to him that they successfully had beaten all the video games.  
  
Afterwards the four had gone to Yugi's for lunch. Joey ate everything offered. Yugi, Ryou, and Tristan started mixing different food substances together into unique combos and seeing if Joey would pass it up [or throw it up]. To their amazement, the boy never skipped a concoction or up chucked it all over the place. They were instantly all convinced that Joey had a stomach made of stronger stuff than anything on earth. [Must be from his moms cooking] It was really sort of awe-inspiring.  
  
Yami Yugi had been thoroughly disgusted and departed to his soul room in the middle of Wheeler's eating craze. This had amused Yami Bakura when he had suddenly returned to Ryou to make the white haired boy go home. He didn't stop laughing in Ryou's head the whole way back. As soon as they got home the spirit had gone to the attic and Ryou had continued to the office room. This was where he had sat thinking for an hour leaving only once to get the book and the box.  
  
Ryou now held the envelope opened in his hand. He was looking at both items, trying to choose one. After a moment's hesitation, he grasped the small black box in his free hand. Quickly, so as not to change his mind, he placed it in the brown paper and sealed it shut; both licking the sticky rim and fastening the metal closer so it would not open.  
  
He walked outside afterwards. It was chilly and Ryou was happy to have the jacket he'd chosen at the last minute. The envelope was held tightly in his hands. This trip was to the Post Office, which made Yami Bakura curious.  
  
//What is it you have Hikari?// he asked through their mental link.  
  
/Mail/ was the short answer.  
  
//Ooo.// said the evil voice sarcastically, //What are ya sending?//  
  
/A box/ Ryou answered.  
  
//Really?// smirked the Fiend //Looks like an envelope to me.//  
  
Ryou gritted his teeth in frustration /It's IN the envelope, Yami/  
  
This got the spirit angry //Don't get cocky, Foolish Mortal. Hehe, your more of hen you know// he smirked in Ryou's head.  
  
/Cluck, cluck, cluck./ was Ryou's replied heavily weighted down with sarcasm. /Does that make you some cocky rooster then?/ He asked lazily but wait for his Yami to get angry.  
  
//You're a moron, Ryou// his Yami said //It's obvious that is the Pharaoh. I'm the guy getting the payoffs in all the cock fights that royal idiot sticks his neck into//  
  
/What payoff?/ asked Ryou pressing his luck in another question. His dark hadn't even mentally slapped him for his smart remarks yet.  
  
//I have the Millennium Eye// stated the spirit.  
  
Ryou realized this was true, but was too shocked that his absence of injury and that the dark one had answered his inquire to worry about it.  
  
//You aren't going to visit the Pharaoh's boy, are you?// asked the Fiend angrily.  
  
/No, Post Office// Ryou answered. Rain started falling as he walked.  
  
//Damn.// his Dark muttered as he left Ryou's soul room. Ryou wondered if he should visit his short friend.  
  
"Don't bother," said the spirit as he appeared besides the boy. Ryou stopped for a second and looked at him. The Fiend hastily started walking in the other direction.  
  
"Where are you going?" Ryou asked. The now annoyed Spirit turned around, grabbed Ryou's arm and hair, and twisted them both.  
  
"I'm going where I want to," he hissed in a sudden mood swing Ryou didn't understand, "Go mail your friggen 'box'." Yami Bakura threw his Light down into a puddle and walked off. When he was gone Ryou got up and continued to the Post Office blowing the incident aside. They were too often to care about with Yami Bakura.  
  
The boy reached the Post Office rather soon for the weather. Ryou was dropping the package into a mailbox outside to building when a thought hit him. Yami Bakura had been in his lights exact form leaving, not even spiking his hair higher and unbuttoning his jacket. He had also walked off in the direction of a certain duelist's game shop.  
  
"Gods, Yugi." he muttered to himself making a mad dash for the game shop several streets away.  
  
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
  
Yugi and his Dark had been sitting down watching the Discovery Channel yet again. The documentary this time, though not as interesting as the game one, was a delicious looking history of the art of making fine chocolates. Both stared bug-eyed while think liquid chocolate was being poured into in to molds from large warming vats.  
  
"That looks good," Yugi muttered.  
  
"Looks rather warm to me," Yami replied shrugging.  
  
"Yes, but good, too" Yugi responded,  
  
"I don't know about you two, but I wouldn't touch that stuff till it was cooled," said a soft voice behind them.  
  
"Ryou, what are you doing here?" asked Yugi turning around surprised. The white haired boy looked down nervously.  
  
"I.I." he muttered searching for words. The white haired boy was wet and shivering with a rather sad pathedic air about his eyes. Yugi felt sorry for him.  
  
"Oh," Yugi nodded understandingly. Maybe Ryou wanted to tell him what was wrong later, "Well, you can stay for as long as you want. I don't care, Yami?"  
  
"Sure, Yugi. Since it's all right with you," replied the taller tri-color haired boy.  
  
"Thank you," the other boy said softly sitting down next to Yugi. He began to watch the chocolate special with the others.  
  
Yugi's attention was soon to the TV again. The chocolate was now being cooled in large frezzers. The white haired boy smirked evilly. He didn't care for such mortal pleasures. More than the television, his eyes were on the Millennium Item around the short ones neck.  
  
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
  
It had been late when Ryou set out for the post office. Rain that was sprinkling when he set out was now a light drizzle, not bad, but hard to run in. The worst part was the wind. Since Ryou was wet, the strong breeze made it cold. He found it very difficult to not slow down. His jacket was virtually useless after several seconds. His teeth chattered like crazy.  
  
Ryou kept going. He felt bad that Yugi probably thought it was him at the house. Too many people trusted him. Yugi would believe the imposter. Then, Yami Bakura would grab the item. He had always considered trust a weakness; that everyone was an enemy.  
  
Relieved and tired, Ryou reached the shop door.  
  
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII [AN: I convinced Ego we didn't need a cliffhanger here]  
  
Ryou opened the door to Yugi's house above the shop just as Yami Bakura was closing his fist around the puzzle.  
  
"Yugi. watch out!" he yelled between gasps.  
  
Instantly, Yami Yugi was up and pinned the Tomb Robber to the wall.  
  
"Ryou?" said the short boy in a daze. He still hadn't hit what had almost happened. He looked form on white haired boy on the ground and the other in the doorframe hunched over and breathing heavily.  
  
"My Dark.he." Ryou started to explain shivering violently, but began coughing from his run.  
  
"Bakura!" the Fiend growled seeing the boy's feet. He was muffled though by the way his face was in the floor. He quickly went back to his Hikari's body and took over. His glared at the other two, hair spiked and eyes menacing. Yami Yugi stood protectively in front of his light. The Fiend watched them for a few seconds before talking.  
  
"You two are the most pathetic Item holders I've lain my eyes upon. Too busy watching CHOCOLATE melt to notice the danger you have now avoided thanks to my ignorant Hakari. He will pay for your narrow-mindedness, I assure you," he laughed.  
  
Yami Bakura had been truly surprised at how far his plan had almost gone after all the intricate ideas that had failed. He admitted his hopes HAD gone up when he noticed that the Puzzle was almost with him at last, but the friggen Light of his had caught on and broken the moment. He grinned broader, Ryou would pay.  
  
"You'll hurt Ryou?" asked Yugi in a small voice.  
  
The spirit smirked, "He did betray me, little Yugi. He deserves some punishment, eh?"  
  
"You are despicable, Thief," the Pharaoh growled, "You'd hurt your own Hikari."  
  
The Spirit of the Ring put on a face of mock insult, "Why Pharaoh, I would be NICE to just give him a good working over! It's that or the Change of Heart and the Shadow Realm for him."  
  
Yami Yugi made a swing in the Tomb Robbers direction. The Fiend ducked it and headed calmly out of the shop and into the rain. Yugi watched him go through the window.  
  
"Poor Ryou." he muttered.  
  
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII [AN: Yes, the chapter keeps going!]  
  
Ryou was terrified. He had gotten his Dark into a dangerous mood. He didn't wish he hadn't helped Yugi even though his Yami's threats became darker and more horrible with each stride as Ryou waited in his soul room.  
  
Finally they reached the house. Yami Bakura separated instantly from his Light into a semi-physical form. Ryou's knees gave away from weariness as he looked up at his Dark's hair, not looking him in the eye from fear. The Fiend smirked and made a mock swing at the boy. Ryou instantly closed his eyes and winched though the blow stopped inches from his face. He opened his eyes to see the fist right in front of his nose, Yami Bakura was watching him grinning, mocking Ryou's fear. He stood up and kicked his Light hard in the ribs, walking away. Ryou watched as his Yami made his way towards the attic, pull down the latter and climbed up.  
  
//GO TO YOUR CLOSET// the spirit barked to Ryou through their mental link.  
  
Ryou didn't reply, but followed the order. He entered, not closing the door, and went to his bed pile cold and wet. It took a long time for him to fall asleep.  
  
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
  
Ryou woke up only minutes after he fell asleep. Someone was shaking him. He jumped back quickly in fright.  
  
This startled the shaker, because they soon stopped. Ryou opened his eyes and saw Yugi and Yami Yugi looking down at him.  
  
"Yugi?" he said. He thought it would be his Yami trying to rouse him.  
  
"Sorry, Ryou, did we scare you?"  
  
"Yes, I just thought." he stuttered.  
  
".that we were your Yami." The Pharaoh nodded.  
  
"Yes," Ryou said.  
  
Yugi looked at him sadly, "Oh, Ryou, we followed you home! We saw the Tomb Robber kick you. He didn't seem very happy, obviously. He was angry when he left but the way he was talking, we thought he was going to do worst."  
  
"So did I," muttered Ryou.  
  
"Why didn't he hurt you like he said he would?" Yami Yugi asked.  
  
Ryou shrugged, "I don't know."  
  
"I want you to come home with us." Yugi said, "We can keep your Yami under control."  
  
"No," said Ryou.  
  
"Why?" Yugi asked.  
  
"I can't go," said Ryou watching the ceiling. Yugi looked at the floor. There was silence till Yami Yugi spoke up in a seemingly random inquiry,  
  
"Why did you miss school on Monday, Ryou?"  
  
Ryou looked at him confused, "I hurt my leg, why?"  
  
"How?" the Pharaoh asked before Ryou had finished 'why'.  
  
"How what?" asked Ryou avoiding the question.  
  
"How did you hurt your leg?"  
  
"I.I fell on it." Ryou answered.  
  
"How, did you fall so roughly?"  
  
"Why does it matter?" said Ryou with a sudden hardness that startled Yugi. The Pharaoh raised his eyebrow a bit at this and nodded to himself. Yugi wondered what he was going at.  
  
"Yugi, I think we have to leave," he said turning to the other boy he continued, "If we stay we might get Yami Bakura angrier."  
  
"Okay," said Yugi as his Yami told him something mentally.  
  
The Spirit of the Puzzle turned to Ryou again,  
  
"Ryou, promise me that if your Yami ever completes his threat to hurt you, you get me as soon as you can."  
  
Ryou nodded stonily.  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Promise," he muttered.  
  
"Okay, come on Yugi, lets go." Said the spirit getting up and leaving. Him and Yugi were soon out of the house.  
  
Ryou sat there thinking as he drifted to sleep. Now he would be breaking promises as well.  
  
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
  
Yami Bakura chuckled to himself in the attic.  
  
"I could use this."  
  
He watched Yugi leave through the attic window.  
  
Another item stealing plan began to form in his mind.  
  
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
  
The Evil Laugh: There are like a million places in that were Ego wanted to make a cliffhanger.  
  
Ego: I love cliffhangers.  
  
The Evil Laugh: .but we chose where her chapter begins.  
  
Ego: Hehe, ya'll better recite your 'poor Ryou' remarks for next week. Muwahahahahaha.  
  
Ryou Bakura: *gulps*  
  
  
  
AN: I have lots of next chapters to choose from. Ego wrote like three of them when she was sick. I'm trying to see which one is nicer to our protagonist, Ryou. I don't know which is though.  
  
I [we] wasn't having writers 'block' till almost exactly Monday 4:5-? PM, it was more of a wall really. A wall where Fanfiction.net kicks you off for like a week. Err.  
  
R+R please. I know Cettie-girl will. Rock on to her. She is almost THE reason I continued this story after the lull in reviews when my ideas went crashing down. Ya'll are soo great about give extremely positive reviews. I've notice 23 or 24 is actually a very good amount for only ten chapter [now eleven]. Some have almost twice that and like only 9 reviews. Thank you! 


	12. Chapter 12 Oh No, It's A Cliffy Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Okay, technically it isn't next week yet [the day being Wednesday, November 6, 2002] so I decided to put this up now. It doesn't fit into Ego's next chapter nor the 11th one before it.  
  
Alter Ego: Ergo, it's going up today if ya'll want to see it *now*. It's very short [about 2 pages on word] and a MAJOR cliffy.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Ya, and the next part were Ryou gets beat up won't come till maybe Sunday.  
  
Alter Ego: Ya, I thought it would be cool if my chapter were No.13. That would really fit at the bad luck Ryou Bakura will be going through. So keep up practicing the "I soo sorry for, Ryou" and "I hate Ego" remarks. My next chapter wannabes are already sitting in document manager at this moment. Hehehe.  
  
Ego: Now for an important part of the story.  
  
[^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^]  
  
Ryou woke up still slightly soggy in the middle of the day. It had stopped raining for the moment for he couldn't here the now familar pitter and patter of rain on the roof. Making sure he wasn't in his soul room, slowly got up. His Dark had done almost nothing to his light the night before, but Ryou knew better. His Yami was always calm and passive before he literally blew up on the boy. Then the anger spurt would last for a very long and violent time. But a whole week was almost too long for the Fiend to go normally. Ryou didn't want to be home when his Dark blew up, but was too scared to be somewhere else at the time.  
  
The white haired boy quickly decided he would stay at the Motou's home above the game shop for a while. He changed into a clean outfit and soon was out the door to the hall way. Yugi most likely was going to be home since the next day was some teacher convention where the students got to miss school. Those days were always a nice unexpected vacation.  
  
Ryou walked out the door and headed for Yugi's. He halfway noticed that all the footprints previously in the front yard, had been washed away by the rain. Last week he had been very terrified at what had happened, but now he had begun to understand. He knew it was a good thing he'd sent the black box away. The person receiving it would know more what to do more than him.  
  
Ryou drove thoughts of the items as he felt his Yami's presence. The Fiend soon took control of his Hikari's form and walked them away from the game shop. Ryou wondered where they were going as he was quickly shoved into his Soul Room.  
  
[^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^]  
  
Ryou was not aware of what was going on for the next several hours. His Yami didn't feel very glad about where ever he was going or whatever he was doing. The Fiend was never happy about anything in life except taking Millennium Items and getting away with it.  
  
Ryou became aware of the out side world again as it was getting dark. Though not in control, he was able to see what was going on.  
  
Yami Bakura was pacing around the neighborhood in the pouring rain. He traveled up and down several blocks. Ryou wondered how his Dark could take all the water and wind. He shivered just thinking about how clod and uncomfortable his body must be as it slowly headed towards the house again.  
  
Once home again, one angry Yami quickly separated himself from his Hikari. Ryou looked up at him.  
  
"What was the walk really necessary?" he asked now in his body, cold and wet.  
  
"Obviously! It was to keep you from the Pharaoh's Brat, Fool," spat his Dark.  
  
Ryou shrugged and got up making for his room. His Yami's foot appeared out of nowhere, tripping him.  
  
"Not so fast, Hikari," the Fiend smirked, "I still haven't fulfilled my threat."  
  
Ryou gulped and crawled back till he hit the wall and looked up at his other side. He looked away as he saw the anger, hate, and amusement in the Thief's eyes. One thought passed his mind,  
  
Oh, no.  
  
And that was all that got through before his Yami attacked.  
  
[^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^]  
  
The Evil Laugh: MAJOR cliffy! ^_^  
  
Ego: Ahahahahaha.  
  
The Evil Laugh: She is rather happy, if I do say so myself.  
  
Ego: Enie, Meenie, Minie, Moe.  
  
The Evil Laugh: She's also trying to pick the next thirteenth chapter, too.  
  
Ego: Aha! I have it.  
  
*Ego gives chapter to Ryou and Yami Bakura*  
  
Yami Bakura: *in Mr. Burns voice* Exccelent.  
  
Ryou Bakura: Oh.gods.no.  
  
AN: Okay, weird, I put up two chapters in one school week. Review for me please! The next chapter will be up either Saturday, Sunday, or Monday; heck, just look for it around.uh. Tuesday. It WILL be up by then. 


	13. Chapter 13 Ouch! Ryou Gets Hurt And, As ...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh  
  
Ego: Oh.my.gods.  
  
The Evil Laugh: What?  
  
Ego: I just realized how much power I have.  
  
The Evil Laugh: *nervous at idea of Ego with power in any way, shape, or form* Um.power, really? ...over what?  
  
Ego: Yu-Gi-Oh characters.  
  
The Evil Laugh: What, in fics?  
  
Ego: Yep, I can make them do ANYTING I want them too.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Heh. you don't plan on abusing this 'Power', do you?  
  
Ego: *grins evilly* Well, I don't really LIKE Ryou Bakura.  
  
Ryou Bakura: *overhearing this* O.oU Eeek!  
  
Ego: MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Um.roll fic!  
  
IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI  
  
WARNING: If for some reason you dislike blood or what have you, it's okay to skip this chapter. It was the shortest of all the ones Ego wrote and the plot stay the same without it. I could have just started at 'Ryou woke up in pain' or something, but Ego wanted a blow-by-blow account. Next chapter will tell whom the box was set to and junk. It will maybe also reveal Yami Bakura's new Millennium Item stealing plan.  
  
IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI  
  
Ryou lay huddled on the floor. It had only been a few minutes, but he was already bleeding. His nose and his lips were streaked with chrisom dashes running up and down his face and into his hair. He made a dash for the door, but as soon as he got it opened, Yami Bakura had him once again, tossing him into a distant corner at the entrance to the living room. Ryou was curled up and shivering violently from the cold rain outside he had previously been caught in. This caused a smirk on the Fiend's face as he picked up the boy roughly by the shoulders and threw him against the brick wall around the fireplace. Ryou looked up at him in pure terror, which made the Spirit chuckle as he reached his hands to the boy's throat.  
  
Ryou realized again, like he had many times before, how cold and inhuman his Darks hands were. Not being a very real bodily human form, the hands were just there, taking on the temperature in the surrounding area. Substituting for the lack of heat though, was a rapid, pulsing evil that was always around the Thief. It flowed most quickly in the Pale Demon's anger.  
  
Yami Bakura strongly punched Ryou in the stomach with a free fist. The boy's reaction was to open his mouth and breath from being thoroughly winded, but at the moment his lips parted, the Fiend was behind him with the not so non-existent hands over Ryou's mouth, enabling the boy's ability to breath.  
  
It felt horrible as he tried in vain to take in some air while his lungs. His chest felt like it was going to explode. His lungs burned, as the need for oxygen was not fulfilled. Ryou thought he was going to die, but before he could black out, the hands were removed and held him up as his knees gave away. He leaned limply against the wall gasping for breath. His Dark was laughing manically.  
  
"You have betrayed me too many times for your own good, Ryou Bakura," the Fiend rasped, "I would have had the Puzzle for long by now if you hadn't started getting in the way since Duelist Kingdom. From then on, you've just been a worthless thorn in my side; ruining all of my plans."  
  
Ryou just stared at his Darks mouth whimpering.  
  
"But now you shall pay for ALL of that. Obviously it wasn't enough to lock you in your soul room or the Shadow Realm as the Change of Heart. Since I can't dispose of you completely, I guess I'll just have to reinstate in your mine which of us is the superior half. I'm sure you'll get the idea, eh?"  
  
There was a dull 'clunk' as Ryou's head hit the brick of the fireplace when his Dark tossed the boy at the ground. The Fiend stared slugging the child in the face, which was something he hadn't done in a long time from trying to hide his Hikari's abuse. When he paused and finished dropping the white haired boy to the floor, Ryou was literally hacking up blood.  
  
The child laid there, coughs rattling his frail form. Blood flew from his lips and splattered all over the paneled floor beneath him. His hair had red streaks and specks of the thick liquid were all over Ryou's front. His blue and gray shirt had and new dark stained dripping pattern.  
  
Yami Bakura watched him. He reached down and grabbed the boy by the hair, dragging him outside into the pouring rain.  
  
"You need a wash," he muttered.  
  
Large puddles had already formed in the yard, and the Spirit carried his Hikari through many of them. He reached a large ditch that was completely filled with murky rainwater and dipped the gasping boy's head into its depths.  
  
Ryou, who was already struggling to breath, found himself swallowing the icy liquid by the liter. It filled his lungs were there should have been air, giving him a spiraling headache.  
  
His head was lifted out again. Met with the concept of having to breath again, Ryou coughed out water and tried to get air into his lungs. In mid painful breath, his head was shoved into the muddy liquid once more.  
  
The second time, Yami Bakura wasn't as quick in resurfacing the boy's head again. Ryou started to struggle from the lack of air. He didn't have gills. But his Yami's grip was like iron. Not even the strongest adrenaline rush Ryou could muster could get his head out.  
  
Finally, the Spirit yanked his light up and threw him onto the porch, where the boy coughed and threw up all the filthy water in his lungs. Ryou looked like some half drowned pathetic creature, like some shaggy dog, with his long white mane all in face and covering his eyes.  
  
Slowly, Ryou rose to his hands and knees shivering still coughing his heart out slightly. He threw a quick fearful glance at his Dark, looking away as the Spirit turned to him. The Fiend squatted down beside his other half.  
  
"How do you feel now, Hikari? Are you still eager to disobey your Master?  
  
Ryou glared unwieldy at the ground before him. He did not wish to give the Fiend the pleasure of seeing the fear in his Light's eyes. All the fear, hate, and sadness Ryou felt would be reflected in his glaze. That would please and angry Yami Bakura who had begun to speak,  
  
"Hmmm, what are you thinking about, little Ryou? Surely, you have considered not betraying me again, eh? Will you not try to halt my plans now? Will you try to help me, even? I know you don't like getting hurt, nobody usually does," he smirked as Ryou still stared at the porch floor, "Don't think I'm sorry for hurting you, though. It is 'most' enjoyable actually. You see, I haven't vent my full anger out in a very long time."  
  
The Spirit quickly swung his fist at Ryou's arms, causing them to fold. The boy hit the ground with a light thump and a groan. Yami Bakura lowered his head halfway down to his Lights new level, but the child continued to watch the floor. The Fiend continued,  
  
"You know I need to use your form to take the items. If Yugi's Yami hadn't been watching the moving picture box yesterday, he would have notice I wasn't you. You see, I must use your body, but you have developed the foolish habit of getting strong enough to take control as soon as I go for an item." Ryou didn't look up.  
  
Yami Bakura lowered himself till he was almost laying belly down on the porch floor. He spoke after a slight pause in his low most dangerous voice. What he said was more of a command than a question,  
  
"I don't like you taking the reins, Mindless One. Will you submit to my rule? I could hurt you if you don't. I could hurt you forever till you finally agree. Will you let me get the items?"  
  
Ryou looked up at his Dark. There was a stubborn fire in the boy's eyes. He said sternly between gasps,  
  
"No."  
  
At these words, the Spirits face clouded over with anger at the 'stupid' boy.  
  
"YOU INFURIATING FOOL!" he screeched as he grabbed the back of the boy's shirt and yanked him up. He dragged his Hikari back into the living room in the house and threw him against the wall.  
  
The impact was so strong, that a flashlight on the shelf, which had been lighting up the room, fell. It hit the floor and the room went black as it broke. Lightening flashed out side, temporarily brightening the room. Ryou lay against the wall, quivering and not watching his Yami approach smiling like a manic.  
  
The Fiend jumped onto his light and pinned him to the ground by the arms face up. Ryou's chest heaved up and down at a quick pace with stressed breathing and fright. Yami Bakura placed his face right in front of Ryou's and looked straight into the boy's eyes. He saw fear and hopelessness in them, which was soon smirked at. Ryou looked right back at his Darks hard glazed, now riffled with an evil light that looked like enjoyment. There was no mercy at all, no caring, just revenge and it's savoring.  
  
The Spirit laughed as a sudden idea came to his mind. Slowly he lifted his knee and dropped it onto his Lights stomach, knocking whatever air was left out of the small body.  
  
Naturally, Ryou's eyes widened slightly with pain ands he opened his mouth to breathe. His chest ached with his Yami's unreal weight.  
  
To Ryou's extreme horror and distress, Yami Bakura put his mouth to Ryou's. He screamed into his Dark's mouth as the Spirit's teeth clamped over the boy's tongue. It wasn't very loud though because it was muffled by his Yami's actions. The Fiend bit down hard, and Ryou began to taste blood in the corners of his mouth. For a few spiraling seconds, he thought his Dark was going to bit his tongue completely off. This did not make for a very comforting thought; the fact that Yami Bakura was actually swallowing the blood was really freaking him out.  
  
Finally, the teeth were released. Ryou quickly shut his mouth and tried to put away, only to discover he was still being held to the ground. He looked at his Yami in horror. Blood was dripping from the Fiend's grinning mouth. Ryou almost passed out at the sight as lightening lit up the room yet again. He tried again to back up, keeping his mouth firmly shut as warm blood filled in, but his other's grip was too strong.  
  
Yami Bakura removed hi left hand and grabbed the side of Ryou's head, tilting it to the right and exposing the boy's thin white neck. He pulled a knife from up his sleeve and pressed the cold metal against the pale flesh. Ryou trembled and tried to get away from the blade, which the Fiend quickly threw, across the room. The Spirit wanted the child to fear HIM not his weapons. Acting on a sudden impulse, the Yami bit down in a death grip with his bloody mouth on the small boy's neck.  
  
Ryou didn't scream, he shrieked and instantly became hysterical. He tried in vain to pull back, but the teeth had a firm hold and were deep in his skin. Blood flew from the boys injured mouth and speckled his Dark's alabaster locks. Seeing the rose drips there, he began to franticly pull at it. He yanked at the Fiend's clothing and hair. Yami Bakura retaliated by biting down harder. Soon, a red trail was dripping from the wound and down Yami Bakura's chin and neck as Ryou was screaming at him and pulling a bald spot in the other one's head.  
  
Yami Bakura felt his Hikari's futile efforts and ignored them for several minutes. Finally, he released his grasp. There were marks and bleeding but no important veins had been slit. Yami Bakura wasn't stupid there.  
  
Ryou's efforts decreased at the release of the clamps, but Yami Bakura still held him down. He spoke again in low, mocking voice,  
  
"You fear me." He said it as a fact. He could see the livid white of his Hikari's terrified eyes.  
  
"Someday..." he continued, "...the whole world will as well. Because, no matter how long you try to stall me, Mortal, I shall hold all seven Items. Then." he paused slightly, ".you'll die."  
  
He turned the boy's head the other direction. As the Thief's hair brushed the child's face, Ryou went crazy. Yami Bakura couldn't get anywhere near the flesh. He instantly became annoyed as the child screamed and cried, called for help, and begging his Yami to not hurt him.  
  
The Spirit blinked. So, he had finally forced the child to snap. It was kind of a big moment for him. He'd rarely been able to get the child to say anything, least of all, beg for a cease, during a beating before. This thrilled the Thief. He sat there staring at the child's panic attack; observing how the boy's form convulsed and his eye bulged. He was morbidly fascinated with it all.  
  
Coming back to reality moments later, it hit the Thief just how loud his Light was. He brought back his fist and punched his Hakari strongly n the jaw to shut him up. The child got the message after two more such blows and a command to be quiet. Suddenly, the room filled with a dull, musty, yellow light from outside. The Fiend turned around and saw a car pulling up thought the window. Instantly he reentered his soul room. Ryou calmed down with his physical absence and lay where he was left.  
  
In seconds, coming through the wide opened front door, three people Ryou recognized as the neighbors rushed in.  
  
"Oh.... my...God..." one of them said as Ryou sat up and slowly tried to stand.  
  
"Ryou Bakura, what happened?" another asked looking him up and down from two meters away.  
  
Ryou watched them with unusually calm eyes even though there was blood everywhere and his body was wet and shivering. At their inquiry his mouth move slightly with no sound for a few minutes till he found his voice to tell a quick and stuttered lie,  
  
"P-people, a, a person...they broke i- they, dey were in the house."  
  
Ryou felt very dizzy and faint. This caused him to sway slightly and nearly fall. He almost didn't catch himself. One of the three, some guy he didn't know, rushed up and helped Ryou support himself.  
  
"Are you saying some one broke into the house?" one of the obviously denser ones asked.  
  
"Yes," he replied.  
  
A woman came forward, "Did they hurt you dear?"  
  
Ryou winched dramatically, "Yes, madam," he replied. She let out a small gasp when she saw his neck.  
  
"Dear Lord," he heard her mutter.  
  
The woman foolishly brought herself close to the wound. This caused Ryou to jump back terrified, with a crazed look in his eyes. The man supporting him changed his role to restraining the child. Ryou's mind flashed to minutes before. He couldn't escape...the head near his throat...pain in his neck...someone's long hair brushing his face uncomfortably...  
  
The group watched him struggle. The woman soon got the idea to back away. The moment her head wasn't near the bite, Ryou calmed down. He became just as he was when they had first arrived, weary and distant.  
  
The man offered to help him across the room. Ryou nodded and smiled slightly out of politeness, not joy. He took only one step and felt like he was falling. The others watched as the pathetic white haired boy went limp, passing out in a dead cold. He was just barely kept from hitting the ground by the man supporting him.  
  
"What a poor child," the woman muttered, "What monster who do such a thing to a child?"  
  
IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI  
  
The Evil Laugh: *takes away Ego's hard rock CDs and gives her some new ones* You need some less violent tunes.  
  
Ego: *raises eyebrows at new CDs* Sum 41, Creed, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Calling, Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World and Matchbox 20? But I can't write without my Nirvana, Grateful Dead, Salvia, Metallica, Kiss, Slipknot, and Manson!  
  
The Evil Laugh: *keeps grabbing and adding CD's* Those are EVIL...  
  
Ego: *watch and winching* No, not Stained! Hey, I saved up a month for those old 3 Doors Down! Don't you touch Candle box! That Guns and Roses was a birthday present you fool! The Rolling Stones and Areosmith are CLASSICS!  
  
The Evil Laugh: *finishing her work and putting new CDs in the pile* Here Ego. Listen to some nice Enya, or Green Day.  
  
Ego: *in horror* Stereo Fuse? Faith Hill? Vertical Horizon? Why would I WANT to listen to any of this snore able junk!  
  
The Evil Laugh: Hehe, wait till you see this... *holds up two CDs*  
  
Ego: Avril Lavigne and Michel Branch?! Ahhhh... *runs into a wall*  
  
The Evil Laugh: That's what you get for hurting Ryou!  
  
Ryou Bakura: *twitching* She, she, deserves it.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yes, yes she does.  
  
AN: A nice 7 pages. Go me! Kay ya'll, R+R. Ya'll always have great stuff to say.  
  
You can diss Ego and Yami Bakura all you want in the reviews as long as you tell Ego if this was any good or not. Kay? Like I said, this story wouldn't make any less sense without it. I personally think Ego is weird. 


	14. Chapter 14 Finally Here After 2 Weeks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Sorry I am taking so long with the updates. I had to write a 3-page persuasive paper on the positive affects on peer pressure. I had to send out all these surveys and junk. It was _very_ boring; let me tell you about it.  
  
Ego: Your teachers are hard. You're not too unusually smart. You and Ryou must get along great!  
  
The Evil Laugh: Ryou is smart?  
  
Ego: Well, smarter than me, no; you, yes.  
  
The Evil Laugh: RYOU!  
  
Ryou Bakura: Yes?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Are you well learned?  
  
Ryou Bakura: I was probably, till I got a couple levels in my IQ lowered by hitting my head so much last chapter.  
  
Ego: *laughing low and maliciously* Hehehehehe.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Shut up and work on your other fic(s).  
  
Ego: Sorry, I'm going through hard rock withdraw.  
  
The Evil Laugh: How are your new CD's.  
  
Ego: Six feet down and not coming back. Aka: They're under my bed.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Did they inspire you for less violent fics?  
  
Ego: Sorta. I'm constructing a Yaoi fic now.  
  
The Evil Laugh, Ryou Bakura, & Yami Ryou Bakura: WHAT!  
  
Ego: ^_^  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: That's not funny, Mortal.  
  
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Ryou woke up in a painfully bright room. He squinted, even though his eyes were closed. Where was he?  
  
Voice #1: Time of death?  
  
Voice #2: 9:00 a.m.  
  
/ Am I dead? / he thought wistfully.  
  
Voice #1: Cause of death?  
  
Voice #2: Excessive blood loss and lots of internal bleeding.  
  
/ Did I really bleed that much? Yami must gotten really carried away. That, or he couldn't stand me any longer. If he finally killed me that would mean. /  
  
Ryou admitted to himself that he'd wanted to just die a long time ago. He never had summoned the courage to simply end it all.  
  
Voice #1: Let's take her out.  
  
/ Her, what the-? /  
  
Ryou opened his eyes and closed them quickly. He listened as the other bed was wheeled out of the room.  
  
/ I'm alive then / he thought almost sadly.  
  
// Hell, yeah, you fool! // barked an evil voice Ryou had hoped never to hear again // I wouldn't be stupid enough to kill you //  
  
/ Why did you hurt me so bad, Yami? My friends will undoubtfully notice / he asked.  
  
// It's a part of my plan, Pathetic Mortal, you'd not understand // informed the Thief.  
  
Ryou sighed. / How long have you been up, sir? / he inquired.  
  
// Ever since those ignorant mortals dragged you out of your house // the Fiend replied grumpily.  
  
/ How long ago was that? / Ryou asked next.  
  
// Well, the clock said something like 12:30 when we left and now it's 9:00 in the friggen morning. I've been cooling my heels her for a little more than 20 hours. It has not, I inform you, been the most interesting 20 hours of my life past the drive over // the Spirit remarked.  
  
Ryou was slightly amazed at his Dark's rather correct attempt at modern math and time keeping. Suddenly he had a very fearful thought.  
  
/ Yami, you didn't _do_ anything while I was unconscious, did you? /  
  
Ryou sensed hid Dark smirking at the question. He couldn't, didn't want to, imagine what the Fiend might have done.  
  
// Don't worry, Pathetic One, I didn't do anything too bad. I think it was actually quite nice of me // the Spirit replied.  
  
/ What did you do? / Ryou asked in a small thought to himself mostly.  
  
// Gods, Child! All I did was help you call for a few acquaintances on the thrilling ride over. The doctors went and sent some people to find them. Something about helping with the stress of you traumatic experience. // the Ex Tomb Robber laughed.  
  
Sure enough, soon Yugi, Tristan, and Joey were in the room. Tea had been too freaked out to come.  
  
Joey and Tristan only stayed a little while, trying to cheer Ryou up. Though Ryou was mentally almost entirely awake, his body wasn't. The white haired boy watched their idiotic antics stressfully as the quick movement disoriented him. He soon had a pounding headache like a sledgehammer on his skull. The nurses noticed this; who sent them out for 'disrupting the entire wing'. They let Yugi stay though because he was actually taking Ryou's condition seriously.  
  
Yugi sat next to Ryou in silence. The white haired boy was busy trying to organize his thoughts. His temples throbbed from the hazy observation of Joey and Tristan's lightening speed exertions of energy.  
  
"Ryou?" said a soft voice. The boy in the bed would have winched at how much his ears made the vibrations had the two others absent had not already slaughtered nearly all his senses.  
  
Ryou opened his eyes slightly after closing them in order to relieve his dizziness. He mumbled an acknowledgement to his friend's inquiry with difficulty. This cued Yugi for the beginning of a soon-to-be rant fest.  
  
"Oh, Ryou, you look horrible! How do you feel?" he asked sympathetically watching his friend.  
  
Ryou decide not to speak his answer, he just winched to show he wasn't entirely comfortable.  
  
"What happened Ryou? Some folks were saying broke in and hurt you. It sounded horrible." Yugi said. Ryou saw the pure concern in his eyes and closed his own in response, sighing deeply.  
  
Yugi watched him. He could see the question had upset his friend.  
  
// Oh, dear // and evil voice mocked in Ryou's head // Not ANOTHER lie! Tisk, tisk, tisk. How could you, Hikari? You used to be soo trustworthy! //  
  
Ryou gritted his teeth at the remark. Yugi watched confused.  
  
"Ryou?" he asked timidly.  
  
The Spirit's voice continued, mute to the little Motou.  
  
// Oh, so many lies. So much seclusion with the outside world! People might think there's something wrong with you //  
  
/ . / Ryou was beginning to feel low.  
  
"Ryou." he heard a gentler voice imply.  
  
Yami Bakura smirked // He's been asking for your attention almost 10 times already. Dear, dear; why weren't you listening? You might alarm him! //  
  
Ryou snapped back to reality. His weariness was wearing off slowly. He opened his eyes and looked Yugi boldly in the face. He cocked his head insquisitly to the side at the sight of his friend. His eyes held a confused look. When unsure of one's self, act ignorant, he told himself.  
  
"Why are you here, Yugi?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Uh, you were asking for us all a few hours ago coming to. Also, when the brought you in, they said you asked almost calmly for me before passing out." Yugi informed him looking equally confused, except his wasn't feigned.  
  
"Oh, did I? Why can't I remember it then?" he asked adding a worried tone.  
  
"I don't know really. I guess you weren't entirely conscious the whole time. They had to really knock you out before putting getting all those stitches in." Yugi shuddered slightly at the memory.  
  
"I have stitches?" Ryou asked.  
  
"Yeah, all on your face and arms and stuff. Some of you blisters burst all disgusting like when that one clumsy guy dropped you. Your neighbors didn't call an ambulance like they should have. They panicked or something and put you in their car. They got pulled over for speeding and some medics picked you up to take you here. Your neighbors are crazy. Do they not like you or something?"  
  
Ryou blinked at this information trying to process it all and thanking gods he didn't remember any of it just yet. He didn't exactly feel the pain at the moment do to the medicine, but he expected hr would eventually.  
  
/ Why did I ever have to wake up/ / he asked himself mentally. He looked down at his body in the blankets. There was some sewing along his elbows and peeping out from his sleeves. His pale skin had new blotches of sickly blue/green/black. Ryou bit his lip slightly thinking about how much it was all going to hurt later. He suddenly felt cold and shivered shortly. He wished some one would turn the heat on. Yugi was about to remark of the shake when the door opened.  
  
Into the room walked a doctor, a nurse, and two police officers. Ryou's heart sped up at there sight. He had no idea why he was afraid; they were only the local law enforcement.  
  
Yugi stood up from his seat to let one of them sit down. The doctor approached the bed,  
  
"I see you've come around quite well. How do you feel?"  
  
Ryou looked up at him wearily. For some reason, his mind started to cloud up again as he tried to answer. He suddenly felt tired and wanted the officers to go away. He tried to reply 'fine' to the inquiry. All that happened was that a moan, low and unintelligible, ran out of his lips. Swallowing hard he just said he was tired.  
  
"Okay, Bakura, these men here," the man motioned to the officers, "want to ask you some questions while you still remember."  
  
/ Remember? Remember what? / Ryou thought desperately. He tensed up in fright.  
  
Yugi watched the doctor assure Ryou everything would be okay, he just had to answer a few small questions. Yugi didn't agree with this. Why, Ryou had just woken up and barely remembered a thing! It wasn't right.  
  
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Soon the only people in the room were two officers, the nurse, Ryou, and Yugi. One policeman had a pen and notebook. The other, sitting in Yugi's empty chair, was leaned back watching Ryou. The nurse checked Ryou's IV's silently as Yugi stood next to the bed across from the two men.  
  
"Okay, Bakura," the officer started. Ryou looked at him quietly, "can you tell us what happened to you tonight?"  
  
Ryou blinked at him. He didn't look to have caught the question to Yugi. The other boy's face was rather dazed. It was obvious to Yugi that Ryou's mind was elsewhere, probably communication with his Yami. The officer sighed and started the question again,  
  
"Bakura, cam you-" Ryou speaking up cut him off.  
  
"I heard you," he informed the man, still watching the wall blankly.  
  
"Do you wish to answer the question?" the officer asked.  
  
"I think I already said that someone came after me after breaking in." he said dizzily.  
  
"Can you describe the person?" the man asked. Ryou blinked the cloudiness from his eyes before answering,  
  
"I just remember there was one. It was too dark to see him well. He was a lot stronger than me but ran off when the bright headlights pulled up."  
  
"Do you remember any of the drive in the car of your neighbors?" the next question was.  
  
Ryou though back. He was surprised that he actually did have some flashbacks of the incident. Now that his mind was clearer, he recalled waking up a few times. He remembered counting streetlights passing by because they were all they could see and laying down in the backseat of a cramped car with some one on the ground squashed next to him. He'd slipped in and out of reality the whole trip but had almost entirely woken up at the sound of some alarming siren and lights. There had be some conversation he wasn't really listening too. Soon afterwards he was pulled out carefully and placed on what was most likely a stretcher. He was soon gone as some device was place over his mouth, making him breath in extremely cold air.  
  
"I don't recall anything important," he finally said, "Just some sounds and being uncomfortable."  
  
The officer looked at his list, and shrugged.  
  
"Well, Mr. Ryou, we think that whoever attacked you may strike again. We naturally want you to be safe, so with your consent, you will be placed under protection."  
  
"No," said Ryou quickly. He didn't want to be watched 24/7, "Uh, no, thank you."  
  
"Okay then," said the officer getting up "there isn't much else you could possible tell us it seems, so we can leave now. Let the doctors take care of you and all."  
  
Ryou nodded as he left. The nurse turned to him as he motioned for assistance.  
  
"Yes?" she asked smiling rather largely.  
  
"Madam, could you tell me when I'm allowed to go home again? I don't like hospitals," he lied.  
  
She looked at her chart and answered him,  
  
"Says here you came go by late tomorrow at the earliest. Are you that desperate to go?"  
  
"Yes, please arrange that for me, I want to leave," Ryou said eagerly.  
  
"Okay. Ill let your doctor know you want to leave soon, but I tell ya, your not gonna have a very good time by yourself with those injuries. Is there gonna be anyone else there to help you, kid?" she asked.  
  
"Why would you care," he snapped instantly apologizing, "Sorry, I just have a head ache."  
  
"No, I don't see why it my business. I don't think it matters much anyway," she replied.  
  
"Good, then I go home tomorrow," he said ending the conversation.  
  
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The nurse was soon gone. Yugi sat down again. Ryou was awake now and bored out of his mind but also in pain. He winched at the throbbing throughout his body.  
  
"Are you okay, Ryou?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Yes," the white haired boy muttered, "Just wished pain killer last forever."  
  
"Does it hurt much?" Yugi inquired looking at Ryou's injuries.  
  
"YES," Ryou gasped as he tried to move farther that a few centimeters. Yugi watched sadly,  
  
"Well, the doc said they were only flesh wounds and that you'd survive. Nothing serious."  
  
Ryou nodded. It was almost all he could do.  
  
"Why do you want to leave the hospital so soon anyway?" Yugi questioned him curious.  
  
"It would make my Yami mad it I stayed too long." Ryou replied slowly, "Lots of stuff gets him angry. I never truly understand why."  
  
Yugi nodded sympathetically. He notice Ryou had sounded rather exclusive. The boy's voice became slightly higher and softer in light terror at the mention of his Dark. Yugi wondered it the Spirit of the Ring was the same one who'd attacked the quiet boy. He didn't put it past the Tomb Robber.  
  
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The two boys conversed lightly for anther hour, till finally the nurse came with some medication to help Ryou sleep with his pain. When his friend was completely out, Yugi left for home.  
  
Yugi checked the mail even though he'd reached the game shop late in the evening. To his mild surprise, there was a large brown letter in the box. He looked to the return address and saw it had come from none other than Ryou Bakura. It was for Yugi Motou and the Pharaoh. He opened it coming in and looked at the small box. He'd seen it before at Ryou's.  
  
/ I wonder what's in this / he wondered through his mind link.  
  
//Well. Open it and lets find out // the Spirit replied. Yugi took the box to his room to do just that.  
  
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Alter Ego: I think _that_ took quite long enough, eh?  
  
The Evil Laugh: What do you mean? We had them wait for two weeks! Then we added salt to the wound by throwing them a cliffhanger.  
  
Ego: That's why I was all for it.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yes, but while Ryou recovers you have no more chapters devoted completely to your writing.  
  
Ego: On Ryou, where did he go after I mentioned my Yaoi idea?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Anywhere but here.  
  
Ego: Well, it may be a song fic, too.  
  
Ryou Bakura, Yami Bakura, & The Evil Laugh: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Not another one!  
  
Ego: ^_^  
  
AN: Well, I finally finished my homework. I am THE Queen of Procrastination. I did have 3 weeks to do it. Hehe. I have all week to write the new chapter and complete a whole other story to publish later. But I haven't typed that yet. I'm trying to finish this. I have this whole story mapped out in three spiral notebooks that me and Ego exchange at the bus stop [we don't ride the same bus, though] or whenever one of us want to cross the street. Ego has the cold again though. Hehe. not from me this time though. Every time there's an illness around she has to catch it at least 4 times. So unlucky.  
  
I still have 10 projects to finish by next week. I've had [counting Thanksgiving Holiday] four whole weeks to complete them all. Hehe. I might not start on them till Sunday.  
  
Kay I want ya'll to read and I'd love it if you review. I spent slightly less than three hours typing this. I want response! Please?  
  
FYI: On Microsoft Word [which I do not own] font Time New Roman size 12; this story has turned to 7 pages actually not counting the AN's and junk [with those it's 9]. My longest chapter lengthwise. 


	15. Chapter 15 What Do Use Agaits The Trinke...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I own this fic, so hey, it's not that bad.  
  
Ego: Whatever.  
  
The Evil Laugh: I'll take this time to inform readers about something. I may NEVER tell you what is in the box! Ego and I had a argument about it and reached a compromise. It was that we will not tell what the trinket is till we make up our friggen minds. We both think it should sparkle a gold color. Okay?  
  
Ego: Whatever.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Roll fic!  
  
$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$  
  
Yugi sat down on his bed, facing his Yami who looked very confused.  
  
"How could your friend had gotten his hands on this?" the Spirit asked the thin air.  
  
Yami Yugi had a small black box, opened and held before him. The light of his Hikari's desk lamp shone on it and to the item within, which glinted a golden color.  
  
"What is THAT?" asked Yugi looking at the dark wood.  
  
"Something that I don't think we want Yami Bakura to get back," he answered.  
  
"What do we do with It?" Yugi asked nervously. Acordding to his Dark, the item was very powerful.  
  
"Well It can't be destroyed, but I think I can reduce the Item to being as potent as a matchbox." He answered the boy.  
  
Yugi was ready with another question. He knew absolutely nothing about the thing in the box except it worried his other side.  
  
"But where will we put all It's energy?"  
  
"Well, not in the Puzzle, for sure. It wouldn't be right to grant oneself so much strength. I could maybe scatter the Power around where that Tomb Robber, or anybody else, won't find it." The Spirit of the Puzzle replied.  
  
Yugi nodded. The sooner It was gotten rid of, the better.  
  
"Will you be using Shadow Magic, Yami?"  
  
"Yes, for the Trinket responds to force from the Shadow Realm. It is the only way to manipulate It's Power out."  
  
"Okay, but I hope you know what you're doing, Spirit. Messing with the Shadow Realm looks very tricky. I've seen Yami Bakura try. He was so exausted, he didn't leave his soul room for a week."  
  
The Pharaoh sighed, "Yes, but I'll not attempt to kill myself like he was apparently trying to do. I'll also have you to help me."  
  
Yugi looked up surprised, "You want me to help. I can actually aid in the weakening of that thing? Are you serious?"  
  
The Spirit of the Puzzle smiled, "Yes, Yugi. I need all the help I can get using my Powers on such an important Item. Yami Bakura caved under the Power of that place because he was taking it on by himself. He had shut Ryou off in his soul room. He had no one to back him up and barely got out with This"  
  
"Oh." Yugi nodded looking at the trinket.  
  
"You understand that we'll have to ask Ryou's permission. His Dark lost this while out for a week. Ryou has to agree with what we're doing or both of us will be destroyed for sure.  
  
Yugi sighed, "But how do we keep the Spirit of the Ring from finding out?"  
  
Yami looked at him and smirked, "We formulate a plan, Hikari."  
  
$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$  
  
Ryou didn't like the hospital. It smelled like bathroom cleaner the food tasted like moist cardboard. [AN: I don't have a very great opinion of hospitals.]  
  
// When do we leave, Hikari? // asked his Dark.  
  
/ Tomorrow / Ryou replied for the 20th time.  
  
// I want to leave NOW! // he yelled.  
  
/ I can't, there's nurses and people everywhere /  
  
// Fuck them! / the Spirit cursed.  
  
There was silence for a while. Ryou loved it whenever his Yami shut up for longer than five minutes. He actually got to relax and not use energy keeping up a mental link. Finally, to Ryou's dismay, the Fiend spoke again out of boredom.  
  
// Ryou, are those tubes supposed to be in your arms? //  
  
Ryou sighed, / Yes, Yami. They're IV's. They pump in fluids; mostly water right now. If the doctors want me to sleep or give me painkiller, they administer it through the blood-stream with the tubes. Understand? /  
  
// Not really, but I'll live //  
  
Ryou nodded as he was left in a peaceful silence once again. His body hurt, making him wish he were in his soul room. In fact, maybe the Ring could help him a bit. He couldn't see how, but decide to try anyway. That was when he noticed with a fearful shock it was gone.  
  
/ Yami! Where is the Millennium Ring? / he paniced through their link. The Fiend noticed it was missing as well.  
  
// I don't know. Those Foolish Mortals must have taken it. //  
  
Ryou turned to a nurse that walking in,  
  
"Madam," he said in a nervous and slightly hystrical voice, "Where's the Millennium Ring?"  
  
She looked at him confused, "Are you talking about that funny pendant the doctors took off your neck?"  
  
Ryou nodded.  
  
"I don't know then, probably thrown out. Why?"  
  
Ryou's stomach did a flip and eyes grew large with pain as he tried to sit up.  
  
"I _need_ that!" he nearly screamed.  
  
"It was just a trinket. Don't worry, the hospital will pay in cash if it's lost," she tried to calm him.  
  
"You don't understand!" Ryou exclaimed, his voice raising in pitch, "It's worth more than anybody could pay. I need it with me at all times or I'm dead, he'll kill me!"  
  
The nurse looked at Ryou alarmed, saying something about getting a doctor as she excused herself quickly. Ryou knew she thought he was crazy.  
  
"WHERE IS MY RING, FOOL!" yelled the Spirit coming out of Ryou. It was painful for the boy since the seperation was directly from him and not the Item.  
  
"They took it, Yami. I'm sorry," he pleaded.  
  
"Where is it?" the Fiend growled.  
  
"I, I don't know," Ryou stuttered, terrified. The Pale Demon rushed at him hand raised for a blow as footstep sounded outside. The nurse was coming back with company.  
  
" 'He's raving about that pendant. Said he'd be killed if he lost it. I though I'd get you, Doctor. You'll see when you enter. The boy's lost it.'  
  
'It's probably some post tramatic stress, madam.' "  
  
"You better find my Ring, boy or, you'd wish I would kill you," the Spirit hissed before disappearing.  
  
The door opened and in walked the nurse with the doctor Ryou had meant the day before. The doctor who'd made him stay an extra day and smiled too big.  
  
"Ryou, what's the matter?" he asked.  
  
"My Item is gone, sir. I need to find it," he informed the man with complete sanity in his tone. The nurse raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, I don't know where it is. Just in case, how much did it cost?"  
  
Ryou had to bite back a shout of anger, "It was an Egyptian artifact my father found and gave me."  
  
The doctor looked at him confused, "And you just wore this around, an artifact worthy of an Egyptian History museum?"  
  
"Well, yeah, I was a bit 'attatched' to it in more ways than you could imagine. If it were gone I'd get really beat up about it. Really beat up." he said.  
  
The man had no idea he meant this literally.  
  
"I'll try to get some one to find it [// Lier // the Fiend spat]. Meanwhile, I think you should relax. Rest will help you recover. You don't need to get all worked up over an old pendant."  
  
"But," Ryou started. He then noticed the nurse finishing her change of IV's. He tried to fight the drug setting in, but was unconscious in minutes.  
  
"He'll never heal soon if he keeps stressing himself," the doctor said, "As for that Ring, it's as good as gone. That stuff is usually thrown out with the bloody garments. All that kid has left are shoes. That Ring was probably a piece of junk anyway."  
  
The Doctor turned to go, but was pinned to the wall. He looked straight into what he though was Ryou's angry glaze staring him down.  
  
"Say it one more time, Mortal, I dare you. Tell me how little my Ring is worth!" Fiend spat angrily.  
  
"Ryou? I thought ---" he saw the white haired boy on the bed in a deep artificial sleep. "Wait a second. Who are you?"  
  
Yami Bakura smirked, " I'm the guy who put the pathedic little Ryou in the hospital. But I'll KILL you if you don't help me get the Ring back."  
  
The nurse stood against the wall, taking in a breath to scream. As she opened her mouth, the Fiend turned to her. He had a card in his hand.  
  
"Doma Angel of Silence, I summon you!" he said. The monster materialized instantly and muted the woman with it's power.  
  
"Destroy that Bitch," he commanded. The nurse was soon no more.  
  
The terrified man watched petrified as the eerie monster turned back to its master. The Fiend activated a morphing jar, banishing his beast to the graveyard. He smirked and turned to the doctor. There was only one reason he'd been able to use his Shadow Powers. He clamped his hand tighter around the cool metal object under the man's coat. It warmed instantly and it glowed as he smirked and rubbed his fingers on the indentions.  
  
"You have my Millennium Ring," he hissed dangerously. He tugged at the leather rope to assure the doctor of this. "You know, you shouldn't lie like that, not unless you have to Power to withstand ME."  
  
"I'm, I'm sorry, I didn't me-mean---" the man stuttered as Yami Bakura took the Item from his neck.  
  
The Spirit grabbed the man's throat to keep him calling for help, "You stole my Ring and lied about its location to my Hikari, so, I must punish you. I must. KILL. you."  
  
The Millenium Ring glowed with a pale golden light as the Fiend drew a card.  
  
$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$($)$  
  
The Evil Laugh: That took a long time to go up. I typed it in like, thirty minutes so it's very descriptive. Still, it's better than nothing.  
  
Ego: Whatever.  
  
AN: R+R. I know I'm slow, but hey, it doesn't bother me anymore. 


	16. Chapter 16 Hospitals Do Not Make Angry Y...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh but do think liverwurst is nasty.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yeah, Ego and I were writing [typing] this chapter during those Yu-Gi-Oh reruns on Saturday. The two of use were bored and there was, like, this can of Underwood Liverwurst Spread [which we don't even WANT to own] sitting in the cabinet. Now, Ego's mom [mum] is addicted to the crap and Ego had a Mars Bar.  
  
Ego: I can't believe you actually ate it! You must have really wanted my candy bar.  
  
The Evil Laugh: My mouth feels all grimy now. It's in my teeth and tastes like cat food.  
  
Ego: You.ate.the.whole.can.  
  
The Evil Laugh: No amount of Coke [which we do not own] is gonna wash this outta my mouth.  
  
Ryou Bakura: You two are sad, making bets with liverwurst!  
  
-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-  
  
Ryou opened his eyes again slowly. There was a shrill ringing in his ears that blocked out all sound. He was instantly confused because usually, this only happened after his Yami or he'd used and exceptional amount of magic from the Shadow Realm. He looked at the Fiend sitting in a chair right at the foot of his Light's bed. The door behind him was closed. The sounds outside foretold a tension throughout the hospital level.  
  
"What -what happened?" the boy asked, fighting a wave of nausea the swept through him.  
  
"Nothing really, only some trouble in finding a doctor. It seems the man's gone missing," the Fiend answered casually.  
  
"Which doc-doctor?" Ryou asked, trying to focus.  
  
"Yours," the Spirit smirked.  
  
Ryou gasped slightly, staring (or trying to) at the creature in front of him.  
  
"What did.you.do, Yami?" he asked, barely able to get the words out as the room spun around again. He had been drugged to sleep too many times and was now feeling the affects.  
  
The Spirit's smirk widened as he nodded to the Millennium Ring and his dueling deck fondly. Ryou looked at the Item around his neck. It was back, but how? His Dark must have done something.  
  
"What._did_ you.do?" he asked, louder this time.  
  
"That Foolish Mortal, dumber than yourself, believe it, stole MY Ring and lied about its location. You see, he had to be punished, Hikari, but unlike a certain child bearing the Item, I could KILL this annoyance. Understand?"  
  
Ryou nodded with a sick feeling in his stomach like he was going to throw up. What was the Spirit's problem with other people?  
  
The Fiend smirked as the doorknob turned behind him. It was locked and the person on the other side had begun to take out their keys. The Spirit got up and walked quickly to the door. To Ryou's surprise, he didn't hold it shut but did vice versa. In walked a woman the boy didn't know. Her nametag said Dr. Tosni.  
  
"Why was this door locked?" she asked sharply. Her voice sounded very stern and stuck up. She looked to the Spirit who looked perfectly normal and non- alarming.  
  
"Well," he stated, professionally coating his voice with concern, "I was visiting my brother, Ryou, here and heard his paramedic disappeared. I was deeply shocked and locked the door incase the person responsible was to come. I heard about the attack a few days ago and cautious for little Hikari's safety. I thought it might have been the same Fiend who has hurt him so inhumanely. R-Gods know what would have happened if they'd reached the poor child, my dear brother, in his current state. The outcome would have been horrible since they've weakened him frail body, mind, and soul."  
  
The doctor nodded, falling for the Spirit's caring concerned words. Ryou found he almost believed them as well, till the Fiend turned to him and smirked slightly with an evil wink. His expression was a worried mask as he faced the lady again. The Fiend was a well-trained actor.  
  
"How is your brother now-?" she asked, not knowing his name.  
  
"Thomas Robert Bakura, [Tomb Robber Bakura] madam. I think Ryou is getting a little better, but the trauma from his experience is still there. I'm afraid the only real comfort past his friends visiting, was that I have been able to give him the Ring he so heatedly asked for. It will probably pacify his outbursts for a while." The Spirit nodded to the Item around the boy's neck.  
  
Ryou stared at the bed sheets. He wasn't going to look at his Dark or the doctor's face. He was mentally commanded to hold the Ring and study it by his Dark to stress what he'd just told the woman. Ryou did this, terrified not to. The doctor made a slight hum in agreement.  
  
"I see," she said, "I'm his new supervisor till we find were the others went. Apparently some nurse has gone missing as well. It's caused quite a few raised eyebrows. It's not considered lethal if a doctor and a nurse disappear for a while. There's really no reason to be so cautious."  
  
The Spirit nodded, laughing at her through his Hikari's mind link. This caused the boy to look up. Dr. Tosni noticed and turned to him.  
  
"Is something wrong, Ryou? Are you feeling okay?"  
  
"I." Ryou started.  
  
The Fiend glared at him behind the woman's back. He looked away, staring the doctor in the eyes instead. For some reason, he wanted to tell her what had really happened just to spite his Dark. He wanted to describe the attacker, tell who had deposed of the doctor and nurse. Spill the beans on the man who had hurt him, destroyed the others, and was not his brother, but a liar whom did not feel the full realm of human emotions.  
  
Even in the boys head it sounded like the raving rant of a lunatic. He stared at her like some crazy, mentally deficient retard that was not aware of how a person strung two words together to make an extremely simple sentence. The Spirit quickly stepped forward with an air of all knowingness about his 'brother'.  
  
"I think Hikari is tired. He was greatly grieved by all the happenings in the past days."  
  
The woman turned to him, agreeing, "We'll get a nurse in soon than. I'd put off his leaving one more day. He can go tomorrow instead. You'll be taking him home, I presume?" she asked.  
  
Ryou sensed anger in his Yami at one more day in the wretched hospital. The Spirit nodded a little late in agreement to the question.  
  
-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-  
  
Yami Bakura clenched his hands and teeth watching the doctor exit. When the door closed, he turned to his Hikari.  
  
"Why the Hell did you look up, Fool?" He hissed (One cannot yell in a hospital without being heard).  
  
Ryou looked down. He shrugged lightly and traced his fingers over the pure white linen.  
  
"I told you to look at the Ring like the simple-minded idiot you are. That wasn't hard, but you were stupid enough to get it wrong. How does one act so retarded?" he said his voice raising.  
  
Ryou studied the white fabric as tears formed in his eyes. That always happened when people yelled at him; he turned on the water works. Then his breath would get short, as it was beginning to. The boy's vision was soon blurry as he tried to keep from blinking, which would cause the water to upset and flow down his cheeks. He just concentrated on the material beneath his fingertips, the roughness of the hospital blankets. He ran his hand down it, plucking at loose threads in nervousness. His Yami always got angry when he started to cry.  
  
"You baby," the Fiend spat, grabbing Ryou's wrist and twisting it, his other hand was locked firmly over the child's mouth to keep him from yelling out in pain as the hand pressed down on the bruises that covered the arm. Ryou made a muted yelp into the cold texture less form of the Fiend's palm. His bones felt ready to snap apart and his wrist was on fire. The tears flowed down his cheeks slowly; their trails stinging the cuts on his face were his Dark's force had stretched some wounds open slightly. The Spirit saw the pain reflecting in the boy's eyes.  
  
The Fiend glared him down.  
  
"I heard your thought's, Stupid Hikari. You wanted to tell everything to spite me, eh?" he growled. Ryou looked at him terrified.  
  
"If you did, I would have had to kill her, you know. Be careful with those idiotic ideas. If you tell anyone what happened, I _will_ destroy them, no matter who they are, even Yuugi Motou."  
  
Ryou's eyes widened in disbelief.  
  
"Oh, yes! You and that arrogant ass of a Pharaoh can't always be there to protect him, eh? No messing with the Shadow Realm, either, just kill the boy like the ignorant mortal swine he is, though way above yourself. Once he is gone, the Spirit of the Puzzle will disappear as well, and even though the Puzzle will be broken, your 'friend' will still be dead. Nobody is safe from me, not the doctor and nurse; not Yuugi and Tea, Tristan and Joey. No one."  
  
Ryou nodded the best he could while being held down. It was getting hard to breath. He screamed as the Spirit twisted his arm even harder and longer. All he could see was white, the color of the bed sheets. It blinded him.  
  
After what seemed an unbearably long time, his poor arm was finally released. He leaned back, gasping in pain. The Spirit was gone, in his soul room. Ryou looked at his arm. It was bleeding on the once pure white sheets. He watched as it dripped down his pale skin and blossomed on contact with the fabric as it was greedily absorbed. He felt the pain throb dully through his body. What was he going to tell the new nurse? The IV lay on the floor, flooding the slightly red-tinted water on the floor. The part of his arm it had left bled the most, with a steady trickle and the largest flood of burgundy on the covers.  
  
Ryou sighed. He was doing that a lot now. He wondered just how long he could take all this.  
  
  
  
-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-  
  
  
  
The Evil Laugh: Since when did Yami Ryou Bakura say 'eh'?  
  
Ego: Since I typed his dialogue.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Eh?  
  
The Evil Laugh: You didn't just type what I though, did you?  
  
Ego: ^_^ Eh?  
  
The Evil Laugh: I'm not reading this.  
  
Ego: No, you're not.  
  
The Evil Laugh: It's all just a very weird dream.  
  
Ego: If this is a weird dream to you, let me tell you about a few of my own.  
  
  
  
-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-6,6-  
  
  
  
AN: Sorry for the weird 'Yuugi's and 'eh's, Ego typed this too and had that section. It's the first time we've collaborated on a chapter since the first 8 or so.  
  
Okay ya'll, review, please. I'd like to give ALL my reviewers a Hikari Yugi Motou plushy. Now, since I'm handing out invisible toys, my story isn't missing anything!  
  
Malik Ishtar: *cough*ME*cough*  
  
Seto Kiaba: THIS IS A YU-GI-OH FIC AND I AM NOT MENTIONED ONCE! I'LL SEE YOU IN COURT!  
  
The Evil Laugh: *looks out window at a block of lawyers waiting patiently in a row down the block* Get on line, man. I could probably get ya a court date in March 2085. And technically, you were just mentioned with that little 'outburst'.  
  
Oh, and this chapter is 6 pages on Microsoft Word, Times New Roman, size 12. Not my longest chapter to date. 


	17. Chapter 17 We All Know What Yami Yugi Wa...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
Ego: Ditto, eh?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Why did you make Yami Bakura say 'eh' last chapter?  
  
Ego: I don't know, but I did so in my other fics too.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Do you by any chance know what 'aboot' means?  
  
Ego: No.  
  
The Evil Laugh: But you speak like that.  
  
Ego: Like what?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Canadians.  
  
Ego: I lost that accent, didn't I?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Sorta-not-entirely.  
  
Ego: Why the Hell would someone say 'aboot'?  
  
The Evil Laugh: It's a strange word Cettie-girl brought up.  
  
Ego: Not as strange as that E-mail I sent you on my dream.  
  
The Evil Laugh: I don't think anyone would understand that.  
  
Ego: Ya never know.  
  
Ryou Bakura: What dream?  
  
Ego: We'll tell you later, at the end of this chapter.  
  
  
  
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O  
  
  
  
"Yami, wait up!" Yugi yelled.  
  
The Spirit of the Puzzle looked up from the tree he'd been inspecting.  
  
"Yes, Yugi?" he said, looking up at his light.  
  
"Can we ask Ryou yet? It's been three days since he left the hospital. He's almost ready to start school again."  
  
"Well, yes, but his Dark." Yami replied.  
  
"Can't we distract him or something? He's connected to our Puzzle, you know." Yugi suggested.  
  
"Okay," said Yami, getting up from the dew-covered ground, "Lets go to the boy's. Maybe his that Tomb Robber will be out somewhere and we won't have to worry about him."  
  
Yugi nodded and they walked to Ryou's.  
  
Yami Yugi didn't want to get rid of the Item in the box. It was very tempting, causing the Spirit to have removed it many times from its shelf to look at. It shimmered with the fairest golden color and glowed with a soft royal radiance. He was once Pharaoh; shouldn't he own such a spectacular trinket to make his status as superior immobile from its high level?  
  
The Spirit admired Ryou for having the will to give up such a greatly powerful artifact to him, a Yami, who would be drawn to it. The boy maybe trusted the Yami would not use the Item like a certain ancient tomb robber. The Pharaoh admitted this was quite stupid; what made him any less wanting of the thing that Yami Ryou Bakura? Why was he stereotyped as a semi-saint? It was probably because Yugi acted so happy and unselfish, a little ray of sunshine. But The Spirit was Yami Yugi Motou for a reason; he had never want anything more than what Ryou had sent and, only self-control and concern for the affect on his Hikari kept him from draining the 'Trinket' of all it's power in a minor mortal heartbeat.  
  
The Yami knew that Ryou probably hadn't trusted him, only Yugi. Everyone trusted Yugi; Yugi trusted everyone. In fact, the little Light was so believing that he'd given  
  
  
  
the Millennium Puzzle to some guy he didn't even know. It was pure foolishness, that drama which could have been avoided had the child acted more cautious. But, of course, cross the boy with deceit once, and trust was rarely returned. Instead, Yugi would listen to all you said and remember it to see if there were any lies again. If one cheated at Duel Monsters once, they were lost to him for eternity.  
  
But, the Spirit did not doubt the boy Ryou who would give the Millennium Ring away in a heartthrob, had there been anyone there to take it. Seemed to him that nobody after the seven Millennium Items really wanted the Ring; only the Puzzle, Eye, or Rod. The Pharaoh agreed; why in the Under Realm of Set would he want to see into others souls or lock things into objects? Then, the Item was sort of the anti-Swiss army knife of the lot unless used correctly against others of its seven-member family. It broke or made ties to the Shadow Realm, connected souls to things by the same place, and beat other Items well in matches of strength.  
  
Ryou Bakura probably didn't know all his Item could do. Only his Dark did. He probably didn't trust anyone with that Fiend running a-muck. The Spirit began to doubt that he even trusted Yugi now. That boy had been run through the mill and, as far as the Yami knew, still was. It was probably only because they were only two of the small group people Ryou knew with Shadow connections that made him mail over the Trinket.  
  
Yugi now had in his possession the Item in its ebony box. Every time he saw it, the Spirit had the insane urge to grab it in his hands and run away, holding it near his heart. He wanted to have the smooth, metallic slip in his fist, radiating magic like living heat and breath. To bask in its sacred glow with no intention of hurting the precious strength was what he'd found himself fantasizing in as he watched Yugi holding the Trinket.  
  
This was why Yugi had taken It away. The Hikari now carried what his Yami wanted. The boy had seen his Dark staring into the opened box with a mad obsessing lust in his crimson eyes. After being considerably freaked out, the child demanded he take temporary possession of the Item for the better of them both. The Spirit didn't blame him. He hadn't felt like himself looking upon the object. He just wanted it, to hold, to claim, to keep forever. This did not scared him; it made him feel slightly hysterical. He understood how hard it was for Yami Ryou Bakura to go and LOSE such a thing; almost to the point of seeing why he hurt Ryou.  
  
As soon as Ryou agreed they could destroy it, the Spirit knew he'd have too, even if he didn't feel the part. He'd have to make so not even he could retrieve the power. That was what Yugi would help with; the boy would keep him from knowing.  
  
It was an interesting plan that that seemed okay in theory. The Hikari was to go find some inconspicuous object; a flower, a grass patch, a coin; and his Dark would not look at whatever it was. The Yami would stay in the Shadow Realm where he could separate the power, feeding it to the miscellaneous item through his Light. This would keep any Yami from having so much strength.  
  
But, Ryou had to agree. There was a chance the white haired boy would be too paranoid of his Dark to comply. The Pharaoh almost wished deep down that that would be the case.  
  
Yugi and him walked to Ryou's. He saw the lump of the box in his Hikari's backpack.  
  
It was in there.  
  
  
  
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O  
  
  
  
"Hello, Ryou?" a voice yelled from the doorway.  
  
The white haired boy answered from the kitchen where a sandwich was being made.  
  
"Here, Yugi."  
  
The tri-color haired boy was soon present. Next to the boy stood his slightly taller dark half. Both were their own spitting images; just like Ryou and his Yami.  
  
"Hey, Ryou, what are you up to?" Yugi asked with his consistent energizer bunny enthusiasm.  
  
"Lunch," he replied.  
  
Yugi nodded, "Uh, where's your Yami?" he asked suddenly in a lower tone.  
  
Ryou looked at him surprised. Why did his friend want to know where that Fiend was? He didn't know anyway and wasn't going to find out for them to get his Dark angry. The boy was saved the hassle of answering as a cold deep voice spoke up behind him.  
  
"What do you want, Pharaoh's boy?" the Spirit of the Ring hissed.  
  
Ryou almost ended up cutting his finger off in fright. He'd been chopping up lettuce as the blade slipped, stabbing air millimeters from his finger's full length, just slicing the soft pad on the tip. He put the cut to his mouth and winched. His Yami watched the two others with loathing. The Spirit of the Puzzle stepped up.  
  
"I wish to speak with you, Tomb Robber," the Yami said, command in his surprisingly deep voice unlike his Hikari.  
  
"Why?" smirked the ever-stubborn Fiend, "Why does the former Pharaoh wish to speak with me? I have nothing you could not already have, unless you want my blasted white hair that I pray to Ra will go someday. I'd rather be bald that share that trait of my stupid Hikari's."  
  
Ryou looked down at the bloodied knife and focused only on the stinging pain in his finger. His Dark even had the nerve to insult his around his 'friends'. That Demon had no lines draw at where to stop with the pain deliverances.  
  
"I am here for the same reason you spoke to me about two weeks ago. Remember that discussion?"  
  
Ryou felt his Dark get exited. He looked up to witness the two, slanted dark eyes light up slightly. He knew what the hope was for. Yami Yugi and his Light noticed as well. They knew such a topic would be the only one to draw the Spirit of the Puzzle from his Hikari. The Pharaoh was inwardly smirking.  
  
"Ryou," hissed Yugi, grabbing his sleeve.  
  
Ryou stopped focusing on the now dull throb of his finger as the blood coagulated. He looked down at the short boy standing beside him. Yugi nodded his head to the door and the two left the kitchen. They didn't stop till they were outside and out of earshot.  
  
"What is it Yugi?" he asked, genuinely curious.  
  
"Yami's is distracting your Dark so that I can talk to you without him there," Yugi informed him.  
  
"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, unsure he wanted to know the answer.  
  
"A little gift we received in the mail a while ago." Yugi told him.  
  
"Oh, and what does it have to do with me?" Ryou asked, knowing perfectly well what it was but wary of the reply.  
  
"Well, we need to send it away. We don't deserve it, no one does. But, we have to ask the giver if this is appropriate to them." Yugi said loudly so anyone passing by would think it an unwanted gift they discussed.  
  
"What if he wants to know what you're going to do with it? What will you tell him?" he replied, getting the theme.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll tell him the truth. I'll let him know we plan to break it up and spread it out in different places so no one can have all of it."  
  
"Really? But you're Yami may be a bit attached to it. How are you sure he won't go after the thing?" he asked. He knew the Spirits wanted the item.  
  
"Oh he'll just break it apart. I'll hide the pieces."  
  
Ryou just nodded. He didn't know what to think.  
  
"We just need to know if the giver will let us do this. Will he?"  
  
"No," Ryou said sharply, not looking at his friend, "No, I don't think he will."  
  
"What? You can't be serious!" Yugi said, surprise. Ryou could tell he had not expected that answer.  
  
"Yes, I am. I've never been more serious. He'll say no." Ryou replied. He remembered his Yami's threats to Yugi's life. That always happened when he saw his friend since the day at the hospital.  
  
"Why?" Yugi asked, wanting to know how come Ryou didn't want the thing destroyed.  
  
"Personal reasons," the white haired boy replied.  
  
Ryou remembered the evil, face of pure enmity as his Dark said he didn't care if the Puzzle broke, as long as the Motou was dead. If the two tried to destroy the items strength, Yami Ryou Bakura would destroy them and take it away. The Spirit would no longer need the Millennium Items then, he wouldn't need Ryou either.  
  
"Could he change his mind?" Yugi asked hopefully.  
  
"I don't think so, Yugi," he replied as Yami Yugi came out of the house at a run.  
  
The white haired boy heard his Dark yelling oaths and threats at the other. The Pharaoh looked like a fox that'd just raided the hencoop.  
  
"Come on, Hikari," the Spirit said as the Fiend ran out of the house after him.  
  
Ryou looked at his Dark terrified. The Fiend was mad. His face was the definition of burning fury enough the heat a room. Ryou panicked, and tilted his head down. The boy's legs gave out and he fell to his knees, dreading the order soon to come for him to go inside; he did not think he'd be able to get up at all. The wrath seething Spirit of the Ring approached angrily; Ryou felt the flaming presence stride nearer and nearer.  
  
"Ryou, come on, with Yami and me," Yugi said, pulling at his arm.  
  
It was the first order Ryou had heard and he obeyed, jumping quickly to solidified legs in seconds. He ran in the direction of the game shop with the Motous. He quickly outpaced Yugi, but slowed down to follow Yami. He couldn't believe what he was doing; his Dark would be furious. But, Ryou felt like he'd rather not get tortured to near death sooner than later right then.  
  
  
  
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O  
  
  
  
The Evil Laugh: Aren't our chapters great when Ego and I collaborate?  
  
Ego: Yeah, but shut up, I'm hibernating.  
  
Ryou Bakura: What about that dream you E-mailed?  
  
Ego: Okay, WILL YOU SHUT UP WHEN I'M DONE?  
  
Ryou Bakura & The Evil Laugh: Yes.  
  
Ego: Well, then *clears throat* I was at the lake sitting on the dock. Next to me was Kirk Cobain, the singer from Nirvana who killed himself in 1994. I turned to him and asked, "How are you and Courtney?" The guy pushed me into the water laughing. I sunk to the bottom, but it wasn't wet, it was dry land. I wasn't in the water anymore. There was this big tour bus that performers use. It was driving real fast as I stood there watching with these two guys; Robby from the Goo Goo Dolls holding a bass and Mike from ditto group with a small tree [sapling]. We looked at the bus and I'm saying, "Rzeznik on?" [singer from SAME group]. Robby replies with a simple 'yep' as the bus crashes into some wall from nowhere. Then I hear the song 'Pink' by Aerosmith in my mind. I think it came from the burning bus [my alarm clock was actually playing that cause I woke up to it]. I pointed at Robby laughing and I got hit with his bass on the head, hard, which caused me to wake up to the radio, life, and school.  
  
Ryou Bakura: What the Hell were you smoking?  
  
Ego: I don't know, but damn, it must have been good, eh? [j/k]  
  
The Evil Laugh: Hey our rating is, uh..  
  
Ego: PG13, why?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Oh, carry on then!  
  
Ego: I don't have anything else to say.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Thanks be to Ra.  
  
Ego: I don't like you.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: That is to be expected.  
  
AN: It seems may of you think I won't finish this fic. Hello, this is the only story I'm writing. All those other things are Ego's.  
  
Spell checks suggest I replace Rzeznik with arsenic. Weird.  
  
On Microsoft Word, Times New Roman, size 12, this chapter is 7 pages long. 


	18. Chapter 18 Annoy Yami Yugi, Get You Mind...

Disclaimer: We do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
Ego: -I .I.Oh.My.God.  
  
The Evil Laugh: What NOW!  
  
Ego: They actually think our chapters are 'thought out'.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Whom?  
  
Ego: Reviewers.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Well, it's not the story was written on some instant spurt of inspiration, barely pulling by in it's semi-weekly regimen of updates.  
  
Ego: What? You mean to say it's not?  
  
Ryou Bakura: *rolls eyes* Insane.  
  
Ego: *slaps Ryou* Hey, if there were no insane people, there would be no sane ones either.  
  
  
  
$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$  
  
It had been only three days since Ryou left the hospital. Running several blocks did not chance that.  
  
Ryou winched as he leaned against the wall of the game shop. His back wasn't taking to kindly to the cold wallpapered plaster. At the moment of impact, his acing welds threatened to give away and leave him sprawled, quite ungracefully, on the ground. This made Ryou take in a short, sharp breath of surprise as the pain filled his mind for a brief torturous few seconds.  
  
"Ryou, are you all right?" asked the extremely worried Yugi Motou.  
  
"I'm fine," Ryou answered, hiding his grimace as he stood up without the support of the wall.  
  
Slowly, yet sufficiently hiding the stress, Ryou walked away, going deeper into the game shop. Yugi watch him silently like the big eye innocent Ryou wished he were. If only the little tri-colored hair Hikari was pleasantly blind to his 'friend's' condition. Why couldn't Yugi always be happy, encouraging, and enthusiastic? Ryou needed reassurance seeing that side of the boy, not the sad, slightly jaded sympathetic. If Yugi had been and ignorant and innocently curious messenger in his questions; maybe then, Ryou would have let him destroy the tiny brilliant star of power that the Tomb Robber had nearly killed him and Ryou to retrieve from the Shadow Realm. But, Yugi's sorrow had made him as complex as others, more like his white-haired friend. To Ryou, this range of emotions made Yugi human, a person with a life, worries, motives; a person to try and understand, to look over and care for.  
  
No, to let the Pharaoh and him destroy the Item would only end the little existence. He could never do that to another so unaware of the danger. If he himself hadn't known Yugi, if the boy had just been a bright being of happiness, Ryou would have thought this complete light and joy would have been able to defeat the opposite Spirit of the Ring. But Yugi was weak like Ryou. If the Motou could fall to sorrow and intimidation, Ryou didn't think he'd have a chance.  
  
Ryou walked to the counter and stared through its glass, not seeing the merchandise beneath the shimmering surface.  
  
"Why won't you let us destroy to Item?" the ever tact-full and caring Yami Yugi asked, oblivious to Ryou's distress.  
  
Ryou glared at him. He wasn't going to talk.  
  
"Tell us, Ryou, please?" Yugi asked on an extremely softer note that his anti-social Dark.  
  
The desperation in Yugi's voice only hardened Ryou's resolve.  
  
"If you act so arrogant in not telling us, I WILL find out on my own terms. You'll not be pleased with the harsher method, Thief's Hikari," the Dark informed him, slightly startling Yugi.  
  
Ryou ignored the tone, and raised an eyebrow as if daring the Spirit to do this. He did not believe it. There was no way.  
  
This cocky attitude infuriated the Spirit of the Puzzle.  
  
"I suggest you take me seriously," he growled, not paying any attention to Yugi's fear on their mental link. The Bakura boy's stubbornness was greatly annoying him.  
  
"I suggest the fact the I don't care," Ryou smarted back.  
  
Yugi looked at his friend confused. Ryou had never acted like this before, so difficult. He was usually almost pathetic in his passiveness.  
  
"Ryou, Yami is serious. Are you even listening to him?" Yugi asked, a slight tremble in his small voice.  
  
"I was, but I wasn't hearing much that concerned me in the slightest," he replied coldly.  
  
Ryou watch them both, Hikari and Yami, with a mask on cold indifference. It was the only way he knew to protect his reasoning from them.  
  
"I've had just about enough of this," he heard the Pharaoh growl.  
  
The Spirit approached him swiftly. Ryou backed up just as quickly in to the counter, moving aside till he was cornered between it and the wall. He almost panicked at the fact that he was trapped. He opposed the treatment roughly, but not enough to receive the acquired adrenaline rush for shoving Yami Yugi away.  
  
"Now," the Spirit growled as Yugi watched helpless, "What IS wrong with you, Ryou?"  
  
Ryou felt two cold fingers like his own Yami's press his forehead between his eyes. For a brief few seconds he envisioned his Dark gloating over his weakness. This was gone a wave of Shadow energy coursed through him from the pressure of the Pharaoh's fingertips. The power was trying to break into his mind. Ryou fought it as hard as he could, faintly hearing a voice calling out for cease in some activity. He was barely aware Yugi was pleading with his Dark to stop.  
  
Ryou felt himself weaken as the magic tried to force its way into his demented torment of thoughts. The strength of his defense was slowly diminishing as he tried to keep the darkness out. This mental strain was almost unbearable. He heard a voice next to his ear trying to calm him, pleading softly for the love of Ra that he stop struggling, saying he was only making things more difficult. This invoked Ryou to send out an even stronger opposition. He felt a new, deeper, more powerful surge of energy rush through his body. It was almost too much; he nearly lost consciousness.  
  
Ryou heard him self let out a light, painfully desperate whine as part of his defense was torn away. He remembered what his Dark said would happen if he told anyone his reasons for behavior, if they found out what had changed him.  
  
Ryou was mentally exhausted as the dark magic got closer and closer to the last iron veil of his mind. There was nothing he could do but try to hold the block up till the powers swept it away like it was made of soft lace and not his last strain of strength.  
  
After a mini eternity, the wall was whisked away. Ryou let out a low moan as a quick, sudden pain inflamed his consciousness, as though the Powers were punishing him for trying to resist. He let out a slight, strained cry, but heard far away a voice shushing him softly in his agony.  
  
"No.please." he pined quietly as recent memories past before his mind's eye, forcing him to relive all the horrid moments.  
  
They would read his mind, they would find out, and they would die.  
  
  
  
$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$  
  
  
  
Yugi watched Ryou's form stop trembling violently. It slowed as Yami told the child to relax, to stop holding back. Soon, the body ceased its maddened twitch. Yugi bit his tongue hearing the painful half-hearted cry as it lightly escaped his friend's lips.  
  
Yugi observed the other boy tense yet again before letting out an almost relieved moan as his form went limp. Yugi knew Ryou was unconscious. Yami caught the frail boy as his knees gave out, slowing the decent to the game shop floor.  
  
The Hikari watched his Dark's confused and sorrowful expression as he read the now still Ryou Bakura's thoughts. He gasped slightly, finished, and stood up.  
  
"Yami?" he asked the Pharaoh.  
  
"Not now, Little Yugi," he said, lifting his hand to halt his Light's approach.  
  
Yugi heard his Dark mutter in a low breath something about more than he expected. This worried the Hikari.  
  
"Yami." he started, trailing off.  
  
"Excuse me, Yugi, I'm tired," the Dark replied, slowly getting up and heading for the stairs.  
  
Yugi watched him go, and then looked at the now calm form of Ryou.  
  
"What did he see?" he whispered to himself, shaking his head sadly.  
  
  
  
$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$^$**$^**^$**$  
  
  
  
Ego: I was so eager to get this chapter up. I loved it with all my black little heart.  
  
The Evil Laugh: YOU have been watching too many Anne Rice movies.  
  
Ego: Blood, sex, and Rock an' Roll!  
  
Ryou Bakura: Come again?  
  
Ego: I liked glasses. Tom Cruise made a horrible blonde.  
  
The Evil Laugh: You know how I feel about those movies.  
  
Ego: Oh, I forgot you don't like vampires as told by Rice. Okay, go watch Buffy or something. I won't.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Shut up!  
  
Ego: *holds up an 'I heart Louis & Lestat' sign* Hehehe *holds up a 'Books were way better than the movies' sign* We all know this is true, e-right?  
  
Ryou Bakura: *nods in agreement remembering how Ego forced him to read all the books and is scared to do otherwise* Uh, yes, they.um.are.  
  
AN: Okay, Ego only has one Rock CD now. It's the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. She got it copied from a friend for Christmas [arrest her if you don't want to see the end of this fic], but only saw the movie five days after receiving the CD.  
  
Ego had said CD blaring in the office while she fixed her computer. I don't know what happened to it [the computer], but she wasn't able to update our fics while it was down. She also had the eleventh track and the fourth on repeat for hours while we were comparing notes on this chapter. I've had the songs in my head all week.  
  
Hey, if you want to get EGO something for New Years [yes, you can do this] here is what she wants. If any of you reviewers have this Queen of the Damned CD and know the names of the tracks, Ego wants to know what they are. The artist for each would be nice to, she said.  
  
OUR GREAT EXCUSE!!!!!:  
  
If any readers wish to know, we are not dead and this chapter is proof. Canadians also sound just like Americans, most live right on the border [in case ya'll got confused]. If you want to know why we spent 2 weeks on this, well; Ego's computer broke and was fixed last week on Friday, but on Saturday the power went out at my house cause my dad was fixing something. Sunday, I gave Ego the chapter before she left on a fourteen-hour drive up north to her father's family. She had a computer and Internet there to work with, but she told me the day after she came home, this Friday, that she'd been using it [the 19th chapter] as a bookmark in The Vampire Lestat when it disappeared. Ergo, she didn't type anything. Saturday [at last] we worked on what you just read with her only rock CD blaring in the background.  
  
On Microsoft Word, Times New Roman, size 12, this chapter is a sad 5 pages long. 


	19. Chapter 19 Well, Since Yugi Is DOOMED Wh...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Okay, Miss Ego, there was something you wanted to say about the reviews?  
  
Ego: Yes. Now, the Mr. Ryou thing was intentional, kay? That's how lots of adults like to address those children they think in superior. That's because this fic is calling the main character Ryou Bakura, not Bakura Ryou.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Uh.yeah..  
  
Ego: And I only say 'eh' cause I like the word. I think it sounds cool. I feel the same way about the phrases 'Mon Dieu' [written not said], 'ergo' [both], 'en masse'[written, not said], and 'sans'[both].  
  
The Evil Laugh: Fascinating, really, but..  
  
Ego: Also, I do not care if this sounds like much adieu 'aboot' nothing.  
  
The Evil Laugh: I hate that word..  
  
Ego: Even though T.E.L. was born in Texas, she DOES NOT have a southern accent.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Thanks for clearing that up to people who could care less, but really..  
  
Ego: Ergo. I do not talk like Seline Dion, Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morsette, or Hayden Christen.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yes, we know, but..  
  
Ego: And what the Hell is Ryou still popping up for? I mean, I was getting the impression that T.E.L. fired him.  
  
The Evil Laugh: Uh..  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: *growling all mean and evil Yamish* He's here cause I am, is there a problem with this, ladies?  
  
The Evil Laugh & Ego: *cowering in fear* Uh.no.sir.not.at.all..  
  
  
  
([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])  
  
  
  
Very slowly, Ryou opened his eyes. He felt the two cold walls against his back, lightly prompting him up in a semi-sitting position. There were no hands on his body at all, though Yugi was bent over him, a look of deep concern in his freakishly purple eyes.  
  
"Ryou? Are you okay?" the small Motou asked, genuine worry deeply woven in his light innocent alto treble.  
  
Ryou looked up at his company, trying to get Yugi's eyes into focus. The two fuzzy globes were smudges of centrally degreed purple on the hazy, distorted pale blotch that should have been a face. Ryou tried speaking the best he could, managing his question in a slight mumble.  
  
"What did your Yami do?"  
  
"He read your mind," Yugi informed him, lowering his high-unchanged voice a soft, soothingly slow tone.  
  
Ryou sighed wearily. The Motou's were doomed. Nothing could save little Yugi.  
  
"You know what he saw?" he asked sadly.  
  
"No, Yami read your thoughts, not me," Yugi answered.  
  
Ryou nodded gently. Yugi didn't know. That might have been good, except to do in the Dark; the Spirit of the Ring would snuff out the Hikari. There was merely no point in protection now as far as Ryou could see. He felt like laughing at how it had turned out, that his friends had brought this doom upon themselves. Slowly he smirked.  
  
"Do what ever the Hell it is you want to with that blasted pendant, save it for the prom for all I care. Go and send it off the Timbuktu, or which ever place you wanted to. Just don't let me see the damnable thing again."  
  
Ryou chuckled in the middle of this announcement. He realized quickly that his behavior upset the still quite innocent mind before him. He quickly sobered up and grew hard again.  
  
"Let me leave," he commanded his 'friend'.  
  
Yugi swiftly got up and headed for the door to open it for Ryou. Though he seemed hard, the white-haired boy had the controlled expression of a person greeting another on, or soon to be upon, their deathbed. Mentally, he started to detach himself from the Motous to make their departure easier on himself when it came.  
  
Ryou hastily left the shop, his vision clearing as he walked into the wind, as though the physical air was blowing the mental clouds away. He walked down the street with slowly measured steps having very little balance backing them up. He had only been unconscious for a few moments after the Spirit had read his thoughts. Freshly, the experience was remembered, Ryou seeing his entire life pass before unwilling eyes. He saw his Yami first coming out of the Ring; saw the countless hours of being locked relentlessly in his Soul Room. He relived the cursed day that the Fiend found he could make himself into a barely physical form, when the mental abuse alone was extended horribly. Repressed memories where surfaced again from deep drowns in his turbulent sea of thought. And of all, he experienced again the fate-directing day involving his Yami, the pendant, and the darkly haunting Shadow Realm.  
  
That memory seemed to fascinate the Spirit of the Puzzle most of all. Ryou could tell by how very long this experience was held before his mind's eye. It may have been only seconds in reality, but the boy had seen again the whole soon to be disaster.  
  
  
  
([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])  
  
  
  
Father had been in town, returning from some ruined section of old Rome. Ryou'd listened to the man tell of the entire history in the area and how the now ancient place had been burned to the ground. This had naturally brought up a lecture on Emperor Nero and the Great Fire of Rome. That was, of course, after the lengthy tale of twins Romulus and Remus.  
  
Ryou had found himself actually listening and taking notes of this at the time. Of course, there had been some history report due soon, and he'd decided to base it on the city of Rome right then and there since his father seemed to know so much about it. The info had also been rather interesting.  
  
At this moment, Ryou had noticed something different going on. Nothing he could see had changed, but the uneasiness was there in his mind and soul. It hadn't been some gut instinct either, something was actually happening inside. Naturally, he had excused himself once there was a pause in the lecture.  
  
As soon as he was in his room, Ryou had pulled out the Millennium Ring from under his shirt. It had been glowing.  
  
/ Yami? / he'd asked timidly.  
  
There was nothing. His dark was simply not there. Ryou felt like panicking. The insane desirable urge to run around in utter hysteria had seized him, or so he thought. He'd tried to scream as his soul was pulled into the Shadows.  
  
He'd never liked that place. It was not the ideal hang out for anything living. Only duel monsters ever found solitude there. Human mortal boys, of course, weren't cards in that all too real game. The Shadow Realm would drive person to almost near insanity if forced to stay long. Ryou'd almost understood his Darks actions after being locked up there so long. Almost. Not really.  
  
Ryou had looked around franticly then for the reason he was ripped from the substance mortal world. There had been not explanation from the empty, yet smothering shadows pulsing around his mind in a mental torment. Ryou had felt weakened, like the most secluded living husk of some consciousness. The weightless shadows never made one feel strong, that is, unless you were made to fit the environment like Duel Monsters and Yamis.  
  
"Ryou, open your fucking door!" Ryou had heard his Yami so graciously order from the back of his mind.  
  
For a brief idiotic moment, Ryou had had not idea what his Dark was talking about. He had startled suddenly, and forced his Soul Room quickly into the material. The area had two doors, one leading to the hall separating his and the Fiends rooms; the other leading to the vast expanse that was the Shadow Realm; one which he never opened. He had throw open the barrier between him and the darkness. For all the significance it held, the act had merely looked like the opening of a simple door to the shadows.  
  
The Yami Ryou Bakura had materialized next to his Hikari instantly; something gold and glittering handing from a thin chain had been dangling from his clenched fist. Ryou had been seriously startled when the Fiend, after throwing his Light an extremely evil and malicious look, had passed quite unceremoniously into a dead faint. The boy had taken some time to realize what he had just witnessed. While his mind tried to sort out the events, his body had involuntarily bent down, his hand grasping the incredibly tiny pendant. It had seemed then that Ryou was watching his actions from a distance, from the back of his mind as the body continued by dragging the Spirit's form gently enough, yet with questionable strength Ryou didn't think he possessed, to it's own depressing dark Soul Room that Ryou could never recall the look of past the exterior to save his very life.  
  
Ryou, or his mental body seemingly, had entered it's own respected area again. He had run the chain through his thin white fingers like some hard, cold unyielding liquid. There had been no clasp on the metal anywhere; the entire length had no joining at the ends, being straight, not circular. The strange larger glint of gold had hung from the very end [or had it been the very beginning and he'd just held it wrong?].  
  
Not thinking [for it seemed he had no control over his mental form at the moment] Ryou banished his soul room away. He had not been aware of the he had this power, but too many thing were happening for him to comprehend so much at that moment. He had observed in mute fascination his arm [he had one in this room less state?] pulled back and shot forward again, releasing the small trinket into the nothingness all around with great force. Lazily, he'd watched the projectile disappear into a horizon he had not known existed.  
  
Suddenly he had felt a cold bit of metal form in his hand. His palm had raised itself for him to see the tiny trinket returned, sans the chain.  
  
"Keep what is stolen, Thief," a thousand sexless voices had chorused from the darkness.  
  
Ryou had known he was suffering yet another bought of mistaken identity crisis. He'd thought it was kind of amazing really, even the Shadow Realm confused Hikaris and Yamis. Amazing yet sadly pathetic. He'd admitted he had expected a bit more from the ancient beings dwelling there.  
  
There had been a strange hissing sound, like water boiling, as he'd been throw roughly back into his Soul Room, without the pendant. He had looked around in mild curiosity, sensing his Yami still unconscious. Slowly he had been carried to the real world, which was easier to understand by far. It seemed he'd woken up from a short, but dream expanded doze.  
  
  
  
([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])  
  
  
  
Ryou finished reliving the experience. Yami Yugi was doomed. He had seen Ryou's recent past including the abuse and threats. The Pharaoh probably knew this as well.  
  
  
  
The boy saw his Dark as he was in sight of home. The Spirit walked collectively towards him, a malicious light in his eyes. Ryou looked down shamefully, he should have never run off the Yugi's like that. The Yami Ryou Bakura's face was telling him this all too clearly.  
  
"So the whimpering Hikari comes back to be punished," the Fiend sneered.  
  
Ryou nodded. He stared disenchanted at the dark gray cement beneath his sneakers. He watched it getting closer and closer at a rapid yet unbearably slow pace. He turned slightly so the left topmost side of his skull connected with the hard, rough sidewalk. On the ground, he stared before him across the expanse of semi-flat road. His Dark's feet jumped in and out of view as the Spirit grabbed his collar and dragged him to the house, which was nearby. Ryou barely felt the stitches painfully retaliation as the Yami tossed him roughly into the attic. The boy wasn't even aware of the significance of where he was. The attic was cold and loud with the several machines that kept the house living areas decent by modern standards.  
  
"You better pray to all of whatever gods you know that those stitches heal slower and I don't get the sudden whim to read your mind," the Dark warned in a growl, "I think you know more about my missing artifact than you put on. Must be easy to act stupid on the subject, probably comes natural, eh?"  
  
Ryou didn't care; he crawled to the bed and climbed in. The mattress was lumpy and many of the springs stuck at weird angles, but he wasn't very much in a position to be complaining.  
  
Ryou heard his Yami leave and lock the attic, taking the latter with him. The boy wasn't alarmed, he didn't have time to be, he was unconscious in seconds, hugging the small pillow that had found it's way from under his head to in his arms by no means Ryou recalled in his delirium. He dreamed about his friends, sure that that would soon be the only place he could not hurt them and, where they could live forever, not worrying about the ancient Tomb Robber or the Thief's Hikari.  
  
  
  
([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])([i])  
  
  
  
Ego: I'd like to note on one revive that caught my eye this week.  
  
IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI  
  
The Evil Laugh, Ego, And Ryou Bakura (Paintedwmbld@aol.com) 2002-12-29 18 Anonymous  
  
T.E.L.: Wow, great fic!  
  
EGO ECHO: ...Great...Fic...Fic...Fic...  
  
T.E.L.: It rocks!  
  
EGO ECHO: ...T...Rocks...Rocks...Ocks...  
  
T.E.L.: Write more...  
  
EGO ECHO: ...Ite..More...More...Ore...Ore...  
  
T.E.L.: Kill Ego  
  
EGO ECHO: Ill...Ego...Ego...Go...Damn The Evil Laugh...  
  
T.E.L.: That's not what I said.  
  
EGO ECHO: I...I...Said...Said..."hate you"...  
  
T.E.L.: *whispering* If I speak quietly, then you can't echo my words cause there are no vibrations.  
  
*silence*  
  
EGO ECHO: *whispering* ...I...Said...Said..."hate you"...  
  
T.E.L.: Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!  
  
EGO ECHO: ...Ego...Go...Damn The Evil Laugh...  
  
T.E.L.: SHUT UP!!!!! *slams into a wall*  
  
Ryou Bakura: There's those walls again...  
  
EGO ECHO: *hides T.E.L.'s wall controller* Alas, more 'magic'...Magic...Gic...Gic...Ic...  
  
Ryou Bakura: I don't think I should say anything...  
  
EGO ECHO: ...Magic...Magic...Gic...Gic...Ic...  
  
Ryou Bakura: *blinks*  
  
IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI  
  
Ego: Now that is an interesting review! Truly worthy of our fic.  
  
The Evil Laugh: What are you talking about? You sent that review, you moron.  
  
Ego: No I didn't! Paintedwmbld at AOL did!  
  
The Evil Laugh: Freak, that's your screen name!  
  
Ego: So, who cares?  
  
The Evil Laugh: I can't believe you reviewed your own fic. That's just sad. Was there really nothing else you could do?  
  
Ego: I WAS BORED! None of my sites had been upped, no interesting stories, absolutely nothing on the tele, and I had not E-mails to reply to.  
  
Ryou Bakura: Couldn't you go outside and do something, or read a book.  
  
Ego: Shut it, sane, reasonable voice! *attempts to strangle Ryou*  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: *yelling in very serious, VERY dangerous tone* Stop! *pulls Ego off his Hikari*  
  
Ego: *terrified* Eek!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: You're doing it wrong! Like this. *starts choking Ryou with professional ease*  
  
Ego: *is taking notes* So I grab for the front of the throat? Gotcha.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Only go for the back of the neck if you want to use your whole arm, see? *switches position to show this attack*  
  
The Evil Laugh: Um, this all very fascinating, but I think Ryou's seeing a whole new world in his chameleon color change. He's, uh, turning purplish.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: I know *keeps holding till Ryou is unconscious* There, he's less annoying when he's out.  
  
Ego: *smiling at the fact that Ryou is out cold* Yami Genius!  
  
The Evil Laugh: *comforting the unconscious form of Ryou* Thief Bastard.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Thank you both!  
  
  
  
AN: Okay, I guess I don't have much to say here except; Ego really did review our story. Seriously, if you look, you'll see it there. She's crazy.  
  
Don't worry about Ryou in the ANs, he's still alive, Ego just wanted to hurt him.  
  
On Microsoft Word, Times New Roman, size 12, this story is an amazing 8 pages long! [3 are ANs and 5 are the actual fic] 


	20. Chapter 20 Awe, Thery're Fighting! Such ...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or, uh, the Queen of England?  
  
The Evil Laugh: Ya'll, I don't get it. We have Ego type for four hours to bring ya this fic, and we get 3 reviews? That hurt ya'll. I'm not complaining, but  
  
Ego: You aren't?  
  
The Evil Laugh: But I felt real bad when Ego told me the news. I wrote a poem that got more reviews than that.  
  
Ego: Face it, there's nobody on Fanfiction.net Mondays.  
  
The Evil Laugh: I want ya'll to know that we authors work long and hard to bring you these fics.  
  
Ego: That didn't sound exactly right, T.E.L.  
  
The Evil Laugh: What's wrong with what I said?  
  
Ego: Oh, nothing, really.. *makes a face that says 'loser'*  
  
The Evil Laugh: Okay, fix it then if it's so terribly done!  
  
Ego: *scratches out 'work long and hard'* There, that's part of it. Here's the rest. *writes above scratches 'barely work at all'* Done!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: You know, it actually makes more sense that way.  
  
The Evil Laugh: *growls* Err.I want ya'll to know that we authors BARELY WORK AT ALL to bring you these fics.  
  
Ego Oh, Joy! ^_^*  
  
  
  
Yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-gi-oh!  
  
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-yami-ryo-|Yami|B|:|Finish|and|you're|dead|Mortal|-yugi- motou!  
  
  
  
"Yami, please come downstairs now, you've been up there for hours." Yugi pined from the bottom of the steps.  
  
Yami Yugi Motou had been in the room ever since reading Ryou Bakura's mind. He'd silently gone up and locked the door, telling his Hikari that he needed some time to think. He would not tell the boy what was seen in Ryou's head.  
  
Yugi left the foot of the stairs again with an exaggerated sigh. His Yami listened, thinking about the Tomb Robber.  
  
That Thief was revolting. He treated his Hikari like nothing. The Yami didn't care about anything above or below himself. All that mattered was a vain quest for power. The Fiend's will to succeed above all else was strong. He'd even threatened the Motou's life with earnest.  
  
But Ryou, he was obviously distressed by his Darks actions. It had been really bad for him before the little trinket ordeal, only after that, things got even worse.  
  
Yami Yugi felt a little sorry for Ryou. The kid had been told there was nothing he could do about his predicament. In all likelihood, this information to him was probably true if he kept it all to himself. The Ancient Spirit of the Ring was merely too strong for the pathetic mortal boy. Ryou should have told them before his Dark had gotten so strong. If the Spirit had still been newly awaken, it would have been easier to impress rules upon him. The menacing Yami maybe wouldn't have been able to advance his power so much. He was probably as strong as the Pharaoh himself by now, no restrains keeping him back like Yugi was to the Spirit of the puzzle.  
  
Yami Yugi never desired to reach a point where keeping a Hikari was no longer necessary. He just had a problem with being alone without some one to depend upon him. As Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, he had probably tried to please those who believed in his authority. He'd maybe ignore those who didn't; sent them away on missions or wars. He'd always told himself that he'd help his little Light whenever he asked. But, Yugi would grow up someday. If only they could keep the trinket till then, so Yami would have more power to console himself with after bitter Hikari rejection at last.  
  
According to Ishitzu [AN: How I long to write 'Isis' instead], he'd been a young Pharaoh. He remembered asking later exactly HOW young was it? She hadn't known; maybe Yugi's age? And this had pained him because he could not remember how he had felt about his childhood rule. This past affected him still in this modern era, though it was forgotten. He was humored by the fact that that he was stubbornly fonder of 'Oh, to Ra!' than 'Oh, to God'. He knew THAT had been only physiological, but; had he been stubborn as Pharaoh? More morbid, dieing didn't affect him like it did Yugi or pretty much everyone Yugi knew. Maybe it was because he was immortal? His Hikari could not stand another's passing very well; making a fuss over it like the poor soul had been a living god. His Dark though, just shrugged it off, he didn't really care, he couldn't care and what hurt: He didn't know WHY he'd felt this way. Life didn't really mean that much to him, unless, for obvious reasons, it was Yugi's or one of the boy's friends. Not Ryou though, Ryou was almost gone.  
  
A certain Millennium Item's Spirit had once told him all he cared about was those he needed. Yugi was only looked after because gone, so was the Yami. The Fiend had been forced to dodge a swing following this, but the damage had already been done. The Spirit of the Puzzle had tried to convince himself this was a lie, but it wasn't, not really. In truth, had he seen Yugi just walking down the street in the norm, would he have cared? No, he would have been just another boy, filed under short: freaky hair. That was a painful revelation for the Yami.  
  
New thought stream please!  
  
Uh, but that horrible Tomb Robber! Now, there was some one who needed to wake up and smell the new millennium! It simply wasn't a common practice to have a slave (an abused, beaten, CHILD slave) in civilized society. Oh, there where the manservant, but they ran down families bred for that sort of servitude. Ryou Bakura had not been born into that kind of life; he'd been an average, normal, and considerably most sane, before his reality, his whole trained innocent view of life and its little heartbreaks on TV, had been crashed down. The boy had been shoved rudely into thing mortals had only ever classified as fiction. One simple card game had advance to a gruesome sport, and a Yami had claimed ownership over his body and soul through an old Egyptian Artifact.  
  
Yami Yugi wondered what it was it had felt like to find out not all fairytales were elaborate lies to confuse little children. He could not remember that ever happening to him, facing that all too real dream. Realizing monsters DID exist and were powerful. Maybe he'd grown up with duel monsters, making their inexistence hard on him. He didn't know.  
  
The boy Ryou had been cruelly forced to the bearing of an evil taskmaster, that despicable Thief. It didn't bother the Fiend that the child would have trouble getting used adjusted to the new look on the world.  
  
The Spirit wondered what type of child Ryou had been before the Ring. Had he been so quiet? Had he been the opposite, more outgoing? Was he like Yugi, or strangely like Tristan (Yami could NEVER picture Ryou ever being like Joey)? Were his looks the same, frighteningly pale skin, big deep eyes, small frame, and hair in such horrific disarray? Probably not. What was the boy's current state of changing mine now, if there was one left?  
  
Ryou was obviously terrorized by his Dark. It was obvious to whom the power went; the domination of thoughts. It seemed Ryou still had some sense, he'd reasoned the item should go to the Motou's and he wouldn't let it be destroyed. Of course, all this was rather influenced by one of the Fiend's actions. Ryou did not want the Spirit to have power; he got rid of the thing. He believed the Spirit's threat; he would not let Yugi and his Yami destroy the trinket.  
  
"Wrong, Yami. He's given us permission." Yugi informed him coming in.  
  
The Spirit jumped at this intrusion he'd failed to notice.  
  
"How did you get in, Yugi?" he asked.  
  
Yugi held up a small brass key,  
  
"It's my room too, Yami,"  
  
"Oh," the Spirit replied, "When did Ryou give us the okay?"  
  
"Hours ago, after he woke up. You were up here, so I didn't say anything." Yugi told him.  
  
Yami watched, alarmed, as the boy's face darkened with wrath and confusion.  
  
"What in the world was going on through YOUR head, reading Ryou's mind like that? He acted like you'd pulled some plan to assassinate the Queen of England out of his head. I can't believe you FORCED him to reveal his thoughts. He's already been hurt; it has to ruin him to learn that not even his private feelings are safe from those with few domineering Spirits, Yamis, with Shadow Powers. What's wrong with you?"  
  
Yami looked at his Hikari. If anyone else had preformed this little 'outburst', he would have been immeasurably angry. But, this was Yugi Motou, and this made the Yami feel seriously injured, sad that his Light could be so put off with him.  
  
"We would not have found out another way. The boy's just too paranoid. Oh, think of what has been accomplished so quickly! I know now how he got the pendant, how he's felt about it, and permission to get rid of the crazy mess. Think on that, don't try to worry about Ryou and the affect on him, he's already been destroyed. There was no other way to find out," the Spirit defended himself.  
  
"Time, Yami, some people like to do things on their own time. We only got the trinket like what, a week ago? It wasn't exactly necessary to find out while Ryou was only three days from the hospital. Asking to destroy the thing was mild, okay; but reading his mind exactly after?" Yugi replied, his small voice unable to produce a deep yelling argument.  
  
"Yugi, I could have give the boy from here to the second coming; I still wouldn't have found out; and, you wouldn't have found out. Don't think just because you've known him since he transferred, that he's gonna let you in on everything. He doesn't even WANT friends. He's convinced that you're going to die, that I'm going to die. It's happened before when some unexpecting mortal he knows gets too much information. He doesn't care about you anymore, not about Tea, Joey, or Tristan, I don't think he very much cares about his family members either. But, unlike the Tomb Robber, Ryou is not a threat to humanity. We should just focus on the real danger; forget the niceties for now. Ryou is not a big part in the plot now that he's agreed to destroying the trinket. That boy is not our main concern, he knows this and understands, unlike you. He can see the bigger problem. He's not worrying about himself; why should you do this for him?"  
  
Yami Yugi looked at his Light. The child was still standing in the doorway, trying to stay straight and deceivingly strong. But, the lower lip was trembling, as were the hands, itching to make little fists. The Spirit sighed, seeing the tears fill the large purple eyes that made the boy, a freshman, look to have the innocent mind of a five-year-old child. This was a lie; Yugi observed and learned many things other's thought he'd not understand. In fact, he used to tell his Dark about it, for it had amused him a bit before he became plagued by the misinterpretation. Of course, he'd stopped confining in the Spirit of the Puzzle a long time ago.  
  
"Yugi," he started, seeming just to break the silence.  
  
"It's not true," Yugi stated in a strangely defiant whisper.  
  
"What is?" the Yami asked, confused.  
  
"All of this. It's just a dream. Maybe if I could just wake up.. I'll go to sleep tonight and none of this would have happened."  
  
"Aibou," Yami sighed.  
  
"Yes, arise to no stupid pendants, no changes from the everyday. Ryou being Ryou and never missing school, his Yami just that annoying Fiend who wants our Puzzle, not some demonic threat to all mankind. All I need to do is find some way to wake up."  
  
Yugi looked thoroughly distressed. He sat down on the ground slowly where he was standing. Yami watched him pull his knees up, his arms around them, and poised himself into the classic poise picture of those who were faced with too much and had given up. The Spirit was just realizing deep down that he felt the same. But, his strategic mind had overshadowed. He had thrown aside in plans those that didn't compute to the scene.  
  
"I'm sorry Yugi," he apologized to the frighteningly silent child, "I didn't know what to do with Ryou. I was scared Ryou was turning into the Spirit of the Ring with his attitude. I had to find out before he gave into that."  
  
"It always seems your not worried about anything, Spirit. What scares you, nothing?" Yugi asked in mild amazement.  
  
"What, lots of things!" Yami replied, leaning back on the headboard area of Yugi's bed. "My past terrifies me, my ideas supported by an ego I've forgotten. You, I'd go hysterical if anything should get rid of you. That damnable trinket, that it may corrupt me beyond saving. And now, I'm scared about Ryou for his past was not kind, and I don't see it changing in his near future. I scared what way he looks on things because he is no longer entirely rational. He tries to think as logically as he used to, but I sure it's hard for him. His reasoning's about us may be different since he thinks we're doomed. This is frightening since he holds power over us. His Dark took that artifact from the Shadow, so as long as its Power is material, the boy also has control over it."  
  
"You make Ryou sound like the perfect manic, Yami," Yugi sighed.  
  
"He is," the Spirit told him, "And when he stops caring about himself entirely, we're literally doomed."  
  
  
  
Yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-gi-oh!  
  
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-yami-ryo-|Yami|B|:|Finish|and|you're|dead|Mortal|-yugi- motou!  
  
  
  
Ego: Ya know what, I sent like three signed reviews, and Fanfiction.net didn't put them in my review history? WHY, GODS, WHY??!!!!!!  
  
The Evil Laugh: You have yet to realized, Ego, the site is NOT God; it does not KNOW everything.  
  
Ego: What? No! My perfect world; crushed! Oh, the inhumanity! Some one kills me now!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Gladly!  
  
Ego: Uh, never mind.  
  
AN: Okay, thanks to my three reviewers for this chapter! Cettie-girl, ITSAME, and Draggy. Ya'll rock, and of could give you something I would. How do the words, 'cameo in a fic and/or Author Note' sound to you? [I personally would go for the AN because I give ya funny things to say and/or do; in the fic your name is just mentioned.] Believe me, I wuv rewarding people!  
  
On Microsoft Word, New Time Roman, size 12, this chapter is 6 pages long. 


	21. Chapter 21 CAMEOS& 100 REVIEWS! Ryou Has...

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh and if you ever though any of us fic authors did, well, I guess you don't get out much, eh?_  
  
Ego: PARTY! OVER 100 REVIEWS!  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yep, is Ryou awake yet? We need to celebrate.  
  
Ego: I dunno, you had Cettie-girl watching him.  
  
Ryou Bakura: Ahhhhhhh...  
  
Cettie-girl: What's wrong, Ryou?  
  
Ryou Bakura: THEY GOT OVER 100 REVIEWS FOR TORTURING ME! AHHHHH!  
  
Everyone: *blinks*  
  
PharonicProphesyPeacefulRa: *coughs*  
  
Ego: Oh, yes, 2 cameo appearances are here, Cettie-girl [spell check is currently on a die-hard mission to prove 'Cettie' is improper English] and PharonicProphesyPeacefulRa [who will be shortened to PeacefulRa].  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yes, since Cettie-girl said a cameo would be fine for her.  
  
Ego: Also, originally, the 100th reviewer was to get a pop-up unexpected appearance but hehehehehe, that couldn't happen..  
  
The Evil Laugh: Ego graciously made herself 100th reviewer.  
  
Ego: I wanted a cameo!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Dammit, you have a cameo every week, Ego! You co-write the fic.  
  
Ego: Wow, you know my name!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: No, it's just that your opinion of yourself is so grossly huge that I thought to call you that!  
  
Ego: Awe..  
  
The Evil Laugh: Uh, yeah, so 99th reviewer got the cameo.  
  
**ototototototototototototototototototototototototototototototo**  
  
_Yugi. Tea. Tristan. Joey.  
  
Ryou.  
  
Ha.Ha.Ha.Ha.Ha.  
  
Ryou smiles at his 'friends', all gathered up nearby.  
  
"Hello, everyone," he says waving on the approach.  
  
"Hey, Ryou," Joey proclaims, "Can I see that math homework from yesterday."  
  
"Sure, when Tristan's happily married," Tea pipes in sans the consent of the other.  
  
"I rezent that," Tristan growls while the others laugh on some invisible cue. Wasn't that just soo funny? So many things are amusing: breathing, speaking, scratching your chin.  
  
Ryou simply smiles at the simplicity, the ignorance of their age, which was celebrated in this pathetic joke and it's audience. Of course, he was never the viewer to burst into pleas of laughter.  
  
"Hey, Ryou, did you see that tournament last night? It was awesome!"  
  
"Why, yes, Yugi, I did."  
  
"It was frighteningly close. The guy with the White Magical Hat wouldn't have won had it not been for Change of Heart and Sword of Deep-Seated."  
  
"Yes, quite close, Yugi."  
  
The group keeps walking, Ryou a bit behind, not able to hear anymore of what the others say though he is only trailing by a foot, give or take. He looks from left to right but not up as an evil laughing fills the air above them. The others are oblivious to the sound apparently, oblivious to Ryou's tension as well. Yugi throws a nervous glance at him quickly before acting like he isn't there. Ryou barely catches this.  
  
"You Foolish Mortals. You are DOOMED!"  
  
"Ryou, what's happening?" Yugi asks as the others begin to panic. The road is dissipating beneath their feet. Yami Yugi pushes his Light onto solid ground quickly, but ends up dramatically falling away himself. The others on the group, sans the two Hikaris, do likewise.  
  
"Yami!" the distraught Yugi shrieks, rushing to the edge and looking down.  
  
Ryou watches him silently. There is no desire to move at all towards Yugi or away. Sullen as in a sleep, he glares at the black depths.  
  
"Ryou, we have to help them!" Yugi yells. He is running around frantically. Ryou doesn't even blink at this.  
  
"Yugi," a voice calls. Ryou barely realizes it is his own for the first few seconds.  
  
Yugi comes up slowly; tears flowing unshamefully down his face. Ryou stretches his arms out, feeling like he's trying to move through tar, and takes hold of the boy, grabbing strongly the two short shoulders.  
  
"What are you doing, Ryou?" Yugi asks, alarmed. Ryou can only focus on the laugh, aware slightly he is forcing the smaller on to the edge, the voice above stealing his concentration on where he is, driving him crazy.  
  
Gently, he slowly stretches his arms away.  
  
"RYOU!" Yugi screams, he is hanging above the abyss, "Don't drop me, Ryou, PLEASE!"  
  
Ryou lets his grip cease. Yugi screams as he falls into the darkness.  
  
"Well done, Mortal," his Yami's voice rings out, like it has for the entire episode, above him. Slowly, the voice fades away as more drown it out. Now some sort of frightening chant runs behind him, away from the edge. It seems to have been going on the entire time, yet Ryou only hears the end faintly, as though he was underwater and the toneless sound above him on the surface.  
  
"So you see the Dark swallow the Light," a voice purrs behind him, "You are the Thief's Hikari, Ryou Bakura."  
  
Carefully, Ryou turns around. The street of some random part of Domino is still there. Standing silently in the middle is Shaddi. He stares at Ryou, his soulless looking eyes even more fear inspiring than usual.  
  
"You are Thief's Hikari," he says like a sentence of death. He advances on Ryou slowly, holding up the Ankh [key]. Ryou bolts, rushing into the tall building next to him. He reaches to top in seconds, barely recalling having to use stairs. His Yami waits on the roof, all fencing gone from the edges.  
  
"Thief's Hikari," the Spirit smirks as Ryou lips mutely mouth the words, "I like that. Has sort of a damned pang to it, eh? Quite fits you."  
  
The Spirit walks to him, grabbing his arm gently. He leads Ryou pleasantly toward the edge. The boy thinks of Yugi being roughly forced. Of course, Ryou actually wanted to follow his Yami. He was Thief's Hikari.  
  
"Now," the Fiend says [yet he was no longer evil it seemed], "All you have to do is jump." He points down. The abyss is right below.  
  
Ryou looks down and takes a fearful step back. The Spirit at his side smirks.  
  
"Even I know when something must perish for its crimes. You forced your Dark's power on many. You killed them. The Shadow's might is as much mine as it is yours, Child. You must jump now to keep the rest of the world safe. I will not push you."  
  
He gently leads Ryou to the edge again. Ryou looks down nervously.  
  
"Thief's Hikari." A voice sends it judgment from the right. Ryou turns his eyes in that direction to see Shaddi who simply appeared beside him.  
  
"Jump."  
  
"Thief's Hikari."  
  
The voices make a command together. Ryou steps nearer the edge.  
  
"You know what you must do," the Yami whispers, the devil on Ryou's shoulder.  
  
"Thief's Hikari," the other replies, a frightening ring in the phrase's redundancy.  
  
Ryou looks down for the third time, both feet less than three centimeters away from the drop. A cold hand rests on his back from the left; the smooth metal of the Ankh on the right.  
  
"Remember I said no pushing, jump at your decision?" the Spirit hisses into Ryou's hair. Slowly the boy nods, hearing the ever-faithful "Thief's Hikari" from the right.  
  
"I was lying," the Daemon informs him as both press forward. Ryou walks a step in that direction at the same moment.  
  
As he descends rapidly, feet first, everything goes dark._  
  
**ototototototototototototototototototototototototototototototo**  
  
Ryou woke up with a start. He'd been dreaming again. Always the same sensation he'd remembered afterwards: falling. He had long ago recalled the entire dream, and hated when he had it. He could never change what happened to the others, or to him. Every time he had dropped Yugi into the abyss, only to hop right in after listening to the two other sentence him to the fate. He'd never seen the end of the darkness after he fell, just woke up. But the dream tried to get one idea to him; he was the Thief's Hikari, he was hazardous.  
  
Ryou sat up slowly. He was in a horrible bed that had once been his own. He knew the Fiend had destroyed the comfort. So many things had received like treatment..  
  
Ryou stood up quickly; he was standing in the attic! His back made a small popping sound as he straightened. Why had his other half brought him up here? Ryou was never allowed in the attic.  
  
The boy shivered slightly in the darkness, groping for a light pull that hung somewhere above his head. He found it only after coating his hand in dust and cobwebs. He looked around carefully.  
  
The room was different only slightly from the last time he'd been up. The bed was now more abused, as where many of the other items present. Quickly, he located the trap door through which he planed to exit. Reaching at the hole in the thin wood panel, he pressed down. The hatch didn't move at all. He pressed harder, hoping to force it if the edges were stuck. With both hands place flat against it, he pressed down lightly with his body weight. The old wood made a dangerous creaking sound, threatening to break and send Ryou head first into the floor below. The boy quickly pulled back.  
  
Ryou sighed. The Fiend had locked him up there. He turned around despairingly. There was a small table at the end of the room. Upon this was a small book of sorts. Ryou walked up to it. Scattered around the volume was many piles of paper with notes scribbled on them. Ryou dragged the table over to see better, startling many little cockroaches as they were exposed to the light, a few crawling over his hand.  
  
Ryou lifted the first pile of papers. It was a description of some battle in the Shadow Realm. He soon realized this account was in his Yami's point of view; it was the Spirit's state of mind taking the pendant.  
  
Ryou skimmed over all the details, finding out soon that they bored him. He grabbed the other set. It was information on the trinket, which Ryou found fascinating. It told of how to get the item and how strong it was. Every detail was done in a statistic sort of analysis, comparing the latest info to the earliest. He was surprised at the data presented. The boy had to get Yugi in on this. It appeared the Fiend knew many things about the item. Many things Yugi didn't know.  
  
Ryou picked up the book next. It was the same one he'd found by the door with the trinket. His Dark had translated it from it previous gibberish. He had wondered where the text had gone.  
  
Ryou felt like slapping his forehead simultaneously. The Spirit's entire plan with the item was in front of. He now knew more than Yugi or the Pharaoh. He had to tell them soon, even if they were doomed. Merely keeping the trinket insured their end.  
  
Ryou looked to the attic door again. What would the Spirit do if he broke out? He had to get his friend, yet he was terrified to leave. How angry would the Fiend get?  
  
"Yami?" he called. He heard the footsteps, light and menacing, down below. Silently, Ryou straightened out the room, moving the table and papers back.  
  
"Yami?" he asked again.  
  
The Spirit was now under the door. Ryou could almost hear him grin.  
  
"Yes, Hikari?" the Fiend smirked.  
  
"May I please come down now, sir?" Ryou asked.  
  
"Well, do you think you've learned you lesson, Child?"  
  
Ryou hesitated slightly, "Yes, sir."  
  
"Do you think I think you've learned your lesson?"  
  
Ryou sighed, "I do not know, sir."  
  
"Well, just so you do know, my Ignorant Mortal One, I do not think you've learned anything yet, You're staying up there."  
  
"But Yami-" Ryou started before he could stop the complaint.  
  
"Don't whine at me, Hikari," the Yami ordered.  
  
Ryou, fragments of an idiot's plan forming in his mind, continued to pine away.  
  
"Spirit, I don't like it. Please let me down for the love of R-" He was cut off by the Fiend.  
  
"Shut it, Hikari," the Spirit growled, breaking into a yell, "OR I'LL MAKE YOU!"  
  
Ryou coward slightly, but replied strongly.  
  
"Let me down now!"  
  
"Why you little bastard, ordering me around," the Fiend crooned wickedly. He got the ladder and climbed up, cursing his foolish Light.  
  
Ryou waited for him silently behind the hatch. When it dropped, he backed a few steps away, crouching down. The Yami's head was soon up, followed by the rest of him. Before the Fiend could turn around, Ryou shot down the opening. The boy practically fell down the ladder, landing painfully on his feet. His legs gave out and he lost his balance. He kicked as he fell, knocking over the ladder. As soon as he could get up again, he was running.  
  
Ryou heard his Dark leaping gracefully from the height, cat-like, to the floor with a growl. The boy sidestepped into a brown closet in the hall, closing the door behind him. He held the knob still as the Fiend grabbed it on the other side and pulled.  
  
"You stupid little prat!" the voice exclaimed, pulling harder.  
  
Ryou felt like the door would slip from his hand in seconds. Finally the Fiend stopped.  
  
"Okay, stay there," the voice spat, walking away and coming back, dragging something heavy behind it, "You're not leaving anytime soon, though."  
  
Ryou listened as the heavy object thudded and scraped into place, locking him in. In vain, the boy tried to open the door. It didn't even open enough to let a sliver of light inside. That wasn't a problem, though. There was a window.  
  
Ryou blinked to get accustom to the brightness behind him. Of course Ryou knew there was a window inside. Quietly, he moved some soap and towels out of the way to reach it. The window wasn't large, but if Ryou tried, he could fit through it. He spent the next thirty minutes or so trying to get it opened it, the frame being old and rusted. At first it would not unlock, Ryou was too scared to make noise by hammering it. He had resolved in pulling at the switch-like lock, thoroughly scorning his hands and spreading dust and metal bits in the small air space.  
  
Tired from the unlocking, Ryou was barely able to lift the glass portion up. It moved finally, but very slowly. Once it was opened enough to crawl through, Ryou squeezed out, holding onto the shelves and sending his lower portion first.  
  
The boy hit the ground and fell back with a small 'oomph'. He got up in a flash and ran out of the yard to the Motou's. Maybe he could help them now. He could not let the evil of his dream take over his mind. It was only a little nightmare, Yugi was not about to be thrown into an abyss, Ryou following. No, all he had to do was get the pendant back from them. Their plan for destroying it would not work. They should have never had gotten the thing. Ryou needed to warn them. This was what his Dark had wanted to happen all along.  
  
**ototototototototototototototototototototototototototototototo**  
  
The Evil Laugh: How are you now Ryou?  
  
Ryou Bakura: I really don't know. But, I like how you made it look like I actually had the intelligence to break out of a closet.  
  
Ego: CAMEO!  
  
The Evil Laugh: Yeah, I was in a good mood.  
  
PeacefulRa: Yes, but Yami Ryou Bakura, how could you kill Ryou's sanity so slowly? It's evil.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Hey, Rome wasn't burned in a day you know. These things take time, Mortal!  
  
PeacefulRa: Uh, okay.whatever rocks you boat.  
  
Ego: CAMEO!  
  
Cettie-girl & PeacefulRa: *roll eyes*  
  
Ego: CAMEO!  
  
The Evil Laugh: Uh, Ego.  
  
Ego: CAMEO!?  
  
The Evil Laugh: What do you want?  
  
Ego: CAMEO!  
  
The Evil Laugh: *to Cettie-girl and Peaceful Ra* We don't know her, okay?  
  
Ego: CAMEO!  
  
Cettie-girl & Peaceful Ra: *nod in agreement*  
  
Ego: CA-----*is cut off by Yami Bakura*  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: If you say that again, I swear you'll wish you were born mute.  
  
Ego: Cameo!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: IS THAT A CHALLENGE, MORTAL?  
  
Ego: *in small voice* Came-no.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: That's what I thought.  
  
Cettie-girl, PeacefulRa, & The Evil Laugh: *blinks*  
  
Cettie-girl: Uh, Ego, your village called; they're missing their idiot.  
  
Ego: Whee, they want me back!  
  
Cettie-girl: Actually, they requested you try not to return anytime soon.  
  
Ego: Awe, cameo.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Watch it, Mortal!  
  
Ego: Awe, came-catfish!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Damn right.  
  
  
  
**AN: **_Whee, if this chapter looks different, it's because Ego and me are using different word programs. We are trying to get italics, bold, and underlining into our fics. I'm just saying, hey, it might not be different, or it probably will.  
  
Sorry this took TWO WEEKS! I have tests and exam junk. So does Ego. I'm trying to pass the ACT [and I a stupid seventh grader] If I pass, I won't be so behind on age. I'm one of the oldest kids in the grade. I don't know what Ego's studying for, but she is playing her guitar a lot for the highschool talent show in about two months [that is not a lot of time, people]. Her and some friends are going to do Hells Bells and [if they get the request to perform again] they will do some Avril Lavigne song they really, well, changed. Ehem, the title is "Straighter Boy". She might put it up sometime. It's, um, interesting. You'd have to kinda see it to understand. That's why Ego is taking forever, partly.  
  
On Microsoft Word, Times New Roman, size 12, this chapter is 9 pages long._


	22. Chapter 22 Insane Yami's And Confused Hi...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. At certain times I can convince myself I do, but then reality slaps me oh-so-rudely in the face. I do not own "Sk&er Boi" [or however you spell that], nor do I own "Straighter Boy". Ego wrote that and is letting me put it up for ITSAME because she still hasn't gotten a reward. Now I just need to find something for Draggy.  
  
Ego: That's your longest disclaimer yet.  
  
The Evil Laugh: I know.  
  
Ego: Oh, and a word from the all knowing here. Early to bed, early to rise, insures you meet some very ticked people daily.  
  
The Evil Laugh: What happened in "Ego's World" today?  
  
Ego: Well, I was driving to school everyday and none of my fellow drivers were very nice. Everyone everywhere had something against me, I swear! I really couldn't have wronged that many people in a past life I don't remember!  
  
Ryou Bakura: Maybe they were just groggy like you?  
  
Ego: Shut up, Thief's Hikari!  
  
Ryou Bakura: I do resent that.  
  
Ego: Congratulations!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: You forgot to mention if this unfriendly attitude was before or after you flipped them off, bitch.  
  
Ego: Oh, thank you Mr. Tender, Love, & Care.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Hey, that was entirely uncalled for!  
  
Ego: Get over it Nice Guy.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Hey, I insulted you once!  
  
Ego: Oh, if you called that an insult!  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Fine, I challenge you to a Shadow Game. If you lose; you die. If you win; let me think…you die.  
  
Ego: Uh, well, on the other hand, your insult was, um, way better than whatever I could say and, I'll, uh…I'll just shut up now.  
  
Yami Ryou Bakura: Exactly.  
  
  
  
:::::::*******:::::::*******::::::::*******:::::::*******:::::::  
  
  
  
"You can't have it, Yami!" Yugi shrieked. The Spirit pounced again at the small black box. As his Yami hit the wall, Yugi bolted, slamming the door in the Pharaoh's face.  
  
The boy was terrified. His Dark had been asking to hold the item for days. Now he had attacked to get it, going mental on his Hikari. He said Yugi didn't want a Yami anymore and that he'd take to pendant and go. This hadn't made sense to the little Motou. He sprinted away quickly.  
  
To Yugi's surprise as he ran, he saw Ryou heading towards him. The trusting white haired boy noticed the black box soon.  
  
"Quick, Yugi, give me that," he ordered in a low wary voice looking around nervously.  
  
Yugi held onto it tightly, "Why?"  
  
"For that sake of your Puzzle Spirit, Yugi. Please hand me the box. I'll beg it till you do."  
  
The short boy hesitantly handed over the wood. Ryou received it quickly and hid it under his shirt.  
  
"I'll tell you later when your Yami's calmer, Yugi," Ryou informed the other boy, walking away quickly so that the Spirit would not see him while exiting the game shop. Yugi waited for his Yami nervously.  
  
"Where's the box?" the Pharaoh asked rushing up to his Hikari. The boy simply held his hands up to show he had nothing.  
  
"You KNOW where it is!" the Spirit exclaimed in frustration.  
  
"You can't have it; it's driving you crazy," he replied.  
  
"Why you little," the Yami growled, jumping at the boy to strike his face.  
  
Yugi backed away before he was hit hard; the blow brushing his shoulder roughly. He let out a small yelp of terror and surprise.  
  
"Spirit, stop!" he cried.  
  
The Yami's expression changed. From wrath it turned to sorrow and fright. He didn't know entirely what had happened.   
  
"Sorry, I didn't realize. I'm going crazy. I don't even want the pendant; and I need it like nothing else. I'm confused" he apologized hastily. Yugi blinked at him. "  
  
Are you hurt much, Yugi?" he asked timidly.  
  
"No, only my feelings," the boy replied quietly.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, Yugi. I'm so sorry," the Puzzle Spirit apologized.  
  
Yugi nodded slowly. The Spirit had returned to normal suddenly. He was about to rely to the Yami as a cry sounded nearby. It sounded like Ryou. Some hard noises were coming from the area.  
  
"Oh, no, Ryou!" Yugi exclaimed, running in the other boy's exiting direction. His Dark followed him.  
  
  
:::::::*******:::::::*******::::::::*******:::::::*******:::::::  
  
  
Ryou struggled against the Spirit of the Ring's strong hold. The Fiend looked very angry and very dangerous.  
  
"Let me go, please!" he begged.  
  
"You have it, don't you?" the Spirit hissed darkly, "You took it from the Motou's."  
  
"Yes, because I can't let you hurt them!"  
  
"I'll hurt you if you don't give the damn thing back," he snapped.  
  
"You already are," Ryou replied, a bit more than a little unsure about what he was saying to the enemy.  
  
"So, you think I even care?" the Fiend replied with a growl.  
  
"No, you never do, but I care about Yugi and his friends. I can't let you destroy them with my help. The Item is dangerous."  
  
"Not as dangerous as I can be in a bad mood, Fool," the Tomb Robber pointed out.  
  
Ryou got tired of arguing his defend the friends point,   
  
"So, I saw your plans. The Trinket drives you demented Shadow Spirits to insanity. The Item becomes all you want. When I looked in the box, I saw a chunk of golden junk. It didn't have a constant shape, yet it seemed to stay ever the same. I could barely even see the thing, yet I looked at it confident there was something in the box because there, in fact, was. When you or the Puzzle Spirit look, you see a thing of great beauty I can never behold because I'm a mortal. Eventually, all a Spirit wants it that thing, making it powerful in their mind so that with it they have more strength because they convince themselves they are stronger. It's really just makes them go insane till they destroy their existence."  
  
"How nicely described, yet I am amazed at how I'm not affected by it. Do you understand 'that' strength of mine?" the Spirit mocked.  
  
"No, because I wouldn't call it strength," Ryou replied with a growl from the Spirit, "You DO want the trinket, but you know how dangerous it is, so you give it to Yami Yugi who has no idea. He'll end up gone, leaving you free of his interference and open to receiving his Millennium Items because the Hikari will be gone as well. But really now, if I were in a position to manipulate you, I could persuade you to take the trinket. I could make you think you have the strength to best the Item and stay sane. I could convince you that it's even good for you and then you'd become addicted to it like a drug. I know you want the thing…" Ryou paused and smirked, "…that's the third time this minute your hand has inched warily towards the box and pulled away."  
  
"Why you Egocentric Little Fool!" the Fiend roared, knocking the child roughly across the head. Ryou hit the ground hard and lay still as the Yami grabbed him and threw him into the side of a trashcan. He let out a cry at the pain in his head as it hit the hard metal.  
  
"You're wrong," the Find smirked, holding up the box, "I can resist the little trinket. Look," he held the box in his Hikari's face, "I have it before you, try to tell me now I'm weak. I want to hear your sentence, do I really look like I'm a slave to the junk?"  
  
Ryou looked up at the Spirit from the ground where he was thrown. The small box was closed. It wasn't the same when you could see the thing. He replied quietly, "Open it and tell me you are strong. Tell me then you could never want or need it."  
  
"Whatever, Hikari," the Fiend smirked, undoing the latch. Ryou saw him hesitate a few seconds lifting the wood lid. Finally he tossed it open confidently and looked inside.  
  
Ryou waited patiently for the Spirit to speak. The Yami seemed lost on words, staring into the container. Finally he looked at the boy again, a light of revelation in his eye.  
  
"I am strong. I will never obsess over this because I'm above the demented mind game, see? I could control this. I can use its power properly because I know I can never fall for it," the Dark replied.  
  
"But Yami, it has no power, you and I both agreed on that. You're only telling yourself that. You are just as weak as the Pharaoh. You're acting like I said you would. If I were to agree with you right now to what you say, you'll get lost in the thing." Ryou informed him truthfully.  
  
"You are lying, Hikari. I am strong. I can fight the power," the Spirit snapped.  
  
"Then toss it to the gutter," Ryou challenged.  
  
The Spirit looked at the draining sewer opening.  
  
"I can't. I need it to get rid of Yami Yugi," he informed his Light.  
  
"That's just an excuse, Yami," the boy replied calmly.  
  
"No it's not! IT'S NOT," The Fined shrieked, dropping the box carefully and pouncing at his cowering Hikari.  
  
Ryou dodged the crazed Fiend and ran. His Yami was worse that Yugi's with his want for the trinket. The Pharaoh resisted for longer than a week. How pathetic.  
  
Ryou stopped running a few feet gone. The Fiend wasn't following. He turned around to see the Yami Yugi Motou taking on the Tomb Robber. Little Yugi rushed up.  
  
"What is all this?" he asked, pointing to the box on the ground. It was upside down with its lid broken away. Ryou reached down and collected the rubble.  
  
"It's going now," he answered, dropping the lot into the street drain.  
  
"NO!" both Yami's yelled in union. Ryou observed the two as they dived at the shoebox sized opening to the sewer. He almost smirked at their childishness. His Dark was first to get up.  
  
"You, Idiot!" he yelled at the boy, attacking before Ryou could even take a gasp of fright.  
  
Ryou hit the ground in seconds, closing his eyes. His knees throbbed, slamming hard on the concrete with the Spirit's wrath. He was knocked against the wall, aware of being continuously struck on the face and chest while pinned, back digging into the ground. He tried to shield the blows with his arms, but this just caused the defense to be injured as well. Pain was everywhere, in everything. He screamed as someone walked on his legs, someone doing this in a way to cause the most stress. Ryou pulled his knees up and tucked them in, making the weight jump off painfully. Instinctively the boy curled into a ball. Two hands pulled him up and threw him at the wall again before disappearing. Ryou lay still and quiet on the ground. Blood filled his mouth and hands as the pervious wounds tore again. He kept his eyes shut, not opening them till he heard Yugi's voice.  
  
"Are you okay, Ryou?" the boy asked tensely. He was worried.  
  
"Not unless I'm dead," Ryou remarked wearily.  
  
"Ryou, don't say that!" Yugi ordered, shock his friend said such a thing, "You're going to stay with me and the Spirit of the Puzzle now.  
  
Ryou looked up at him, at the worried face. He supposed the Motou's wouldn't want him to stay with his Yami. The Fiend would probably commit suicide by killing Ryou in his wrath and loss. That or he'd make Ryou wish he'd die with Hell being better than living with the Spirit. Ryou smirked for no reason what so ever. He was about to voice a mild response to the fact of staying at Yugi's when he went unconscious.  
  
  
  
:::::::*******:::::::*******::::::::*******:::::::*******:::::::  
  
  
  
The Evil Laugh: So, as promised [mostly for ITSAME]; here is "Straighter Boy". Who '…wishes she could hear it…'  
  
He was a boy, she was a girl, can I make it anymore obvious  
She was stuck up, he said he was gay, what more can I say  
She wanted him, he'd never tell, he had his boyfriend on AOL  
And her n' her friends, stuck up their nose, 'cause they had a problem with his dressy clothes  
  
She wanted a straighter boy, she said see ya later boy, he was just too queer for her  
Though he had an awesome car, his strangeness went way too far, she wanted a guy who wanted girls  
  
Five years from now, she sits at home, reading the paper she's all alone  
Turns on TV, can't believe what she sees, he's humpin his boyfriend on MTV  
She calls all her friends, they didn't know, they turn their TV's to see the show  
She just stares on, screamin aloud, watchin the man she couldn't turn around  
  
She wanted a straighter boy, she said see ya later boy, he was just too queer for her  
Now he's got a better car, 'cause now he's a TV star, in a messed up TV show  
  
She wanted a straighter boy, she said see ya later boy, he was just too queer for her  
Now he's got a better car, 'cause now he's a TV star, in this messed up TV world  
  
Sorry girl but you missed out, well tough luck, that boy's gone now  
They are more n' just good friends, this is how his story ends  
If you really want to see, well just turn on the TV  
It's right before you're eyes, he's makin out with other guys  
  
And he's just a boy, now he's got a man, can I make it anymore obvious  
They are in love, haven't you heard, how they rock each other's world  
  
He can't be a straighter boy, now he's a greater boy, and they run a nightly show  
They're at it right now for sure, inside the studio; forget all the girls he used to know  
  
He can't be a straighter boy, now he's a greater boy, and they run a nightly show  
They're at it right now for sure, inside the studio; forget all the girls he used to know  
  
He can't be a straighter boy, now he's a greater boy, and they run a nightly show  
They're at it right now for sure, inside the studio; forget all the girls he used to know  
  
  
  
EGO: Okay, I'm doing the random survey of DOOM right now in all the fics I write or co-write. A Laugh That Is Evil and me are going to do this for fun each time we update. We think up questions and I ask them. Here is this upload's question. It was actually brought up by A Laugh That Is Evil's Science teacher who was asking what the 'goo' in The Goo Goo Dolls was. [I promise, if I were there I would have told her, but I was not, so cry with me.]  
  
What do you think at the word 'goo'?  
A)A baby going "goo goo gah gah"  
B)Slimey crap you don't ever want to touch  
C)The Goo Goo Dolls  
D)Other you'll have to explain so we can learn, so you just might want A, B, or C  
  
  



End file.
